What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to evaluate PRAHAAR's effectiveness as a national counter-terrorism strategy and identify critical gaps.

February 28, 20260 citationsOpen Access

PRAHAAR - Policy for Response Against Hostile Activities and Radicalism

Key Points

The study aims to evaluate PRAHAAR's effectiveness as a national counter-terrorism strategy and identify critical gaps.
Conducted textual analysis of PRAHAAR and related legislation.
Performed comparative case study analysis with counter-terrorism policies from the US, UK, Israel, Australia, and France.
Utilized open-source intelligence to explore five primary threat vectors.
Identified structural strengths and critical gaps in PRAHAAR's architecture.
Highlighted challenges such as federal coordination and parliamentary oversight deficiencies.
Proposed ten evidence-based policy recommendations for PRAHAAR's implementation.

Abstract

On 23 February 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs released PRAHAAR — Policy for Response Against Hostile Activities and Radicalism — India's first comprehensive, codified national counter-terrorism doctrine. This white paper offers a rigorous, multi-layered analysis of PRAHAAR's seven-pillar architecture: Prevention, Response, Aggregating Capacities, Human Rights, Attenuating Conditions, Aligning International Efforts, and Recovery & Resilience. It examines the legislative scaffolding beneath the strategy, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the National Investigation Agency Act, and India's three new criminal law statutes (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023). The paper provides detailed comparative analysis with the counter-terrorism doctrines of the United States (National Strategy for Counterterrorism), United Kingdom (CONTEST 2023), Israel, Australia, and France. It conducts a deep-dive into five primary threat vectors: cross-border state-sponsored terrorism, cyber-radicalisation, drone-based infiltration, cryptocurrency financing, and the CBRNED spectrum. The analysis identifies structural strengths, critical gaps (measurement deficits, federal coordination challenges, parliamentary oversight gaps), and inherent tensions within the framework. It concludes with ten evidence-based, sequenced policy recommendations for converting PRAHAAR from a well-crafted document into a living national security architecture. This white paper is an essential resource for policymakers, security professionals, academics, and students of strategic studies. Please note: This analysis adopts a policy studies methodology: textual analysis of primary documents (PRAHAAR, legislation), comparative case study analysis (US, UK, Israel, Australia, France), and deductive reasoning from open-source intelligence on threat vectors. No classified or privileged information was accessed or used. Disclamer : This white paper is an independent academic work by Ramakrishna Semaladhari and does not represent the official position of any government or institution. It is intended for open academic use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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