New Delhi, November 18 (KNS): The Global Counter Terrorism Council (GCTC) on Tuesday opened its two-day national webinar, “From Campus to Red Fort: Radicalisation, Disruption & India’s National Security Response,” with a stark assessment from India’s leading security experts. Speakers said the Red Fort blast was not an isolated breach but part of a growing pattern of radicalisation emerging from campuses, communities and the online space.
Senior police officials, former intelligence chiefs, defence veterans, diplomats and journalists warned of expanding ideological networks, operational vulnerabilities and the rapid shift of online extremist content into real-world violence.
Session 1: India’s Internal Security Architecture — Strengths and Gaps
Chairing the first session, Lt Gen D.P. Pandey (Retd.) said the Red Fort incident was a “national warning,” stressing that India “cannot afford silos in security.” He said information delays and institutional divides continue to hinder response mechanisms, adding that trust within the system is more important than hierarchical structures. He also emphasised that India must study its failures with greater seriousness, especially as digital propaganda deepens radicalisation.
Rakesh Asthana, IPS (Retd.), said “local intelligence is India’s first soldier,” warning that failures at this level weaken the entire security chain. Citing the Faridabad module, he said weak inter-agency coordination allowed the network to grow unchecked. He pointed to lapses involving a dismissed J&K doctor hired by a private university without verification and highlighted the lack of forensic sampling of ammonium nitrate, calling such gaps damaging for prosecution.
Rajiv Jain, IPS (Retd.), described fragmented intelligence as “the greatest gift” to terrorists. He noted that despite India’s shift from a “need-to-know” to “need-to-share” model after Kargil, key intelligence was still not acted upon before the Red Fort blast. He said sensitive leads sometimes require one-to-one handling and stressed the need for stronger verification systems in private institutions.
Former IPS officer Anju Gupta said Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities have become “new laboratories” for radical networks. She described how a multi-state module operated quietly across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and J&K for years.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelShe questioned delays between arrests and follow-up action, expressing concern over how a fidayeen operative moved through Delhi with explosives without being detected, pointing to gaps in urban policing and digital monitoring.
Journalist Nirupama Subramanian said narratives can “calm a nation or inflame it,” adding that the Red Fort blast exposed underlying radicalisation currents in Kashmir. She said clampdowns weakened community intelligence and rising polarisation has increased alienation among Muslims. She also highlighted challenges faced by Kashmiri students studying in isolated campuses and the impact of weakened independent journalism on ground-level insight.
Session 2: External Security — Regional Networks and Global Influence
Opening the second session, Lt Gen (Dr.) K.J. Singh (Retd.) said India’s internal security is shaped significantly by foreign actors. He noted that radicalisation pipelines spanning J&K, Nepal and the Gulf require integrated intelligence, diplomatic and technological responses.
Former diplomat Amb. T.C.A. Raghavan said Pakistan’s “shadow networks” continue to sustain anti-India narratives through diaspora ecosystems and historic linkages.
Analyst Syed Junaid Hashmi said the “new radical” is being “algorithmically assembled online,” driven by AI-enabled content, encrypted platforms and diaspora messaging.
Security expert Major Amit Bansal said modern terror networks are now “borderless, wireless and faceless,” urging faster evolution in India’s response strategies.
Researcher Dr. Ajay Chrungoo said extremism feeds on unaddressed grievances and underlined the need for clarity in understanding the ideological corridors linking Kashmir, Nepal and the Gulf.
Day 1 of the webinar produced a clear message: India’s adversaries are evolving, and the country must strengthen intelligence fusion, improve narrative strategies, expand digital monitoring and deepen cross-border counter-terror cooperation.
The webinar will continue on Wednesday with sessions on digital radicalisation, youth vulnerabilities, inter-agency coordination, legal reforms and strategic communication in an era of algorithm-driven influence.(KNS)