When an explosion ripped through Old Delhi near the Red Fort on November 10, it wasn’t just another terror attack — it was a chilling reminder that India’s adversaries are evolving faster than our counter-terror systems. The pattern emerging from recent arrests and recoveries — explosives in Faridabad, a ricin-plot busted in Gujarat, and GPS spoofing incidents in the skies above Delhi — suggests that the next phase of warfare against India may not come from across the border with tanks and troops, but from educated professionals with laptops and lab coats, embedded quietly among us.
Over the past fortnight, Indian security agencies have intercepted what could have been a multi-dimensional terror assault. In Faridabad, police seized over 350 kilograms of explosives and detonators, arresting individuals — including medical professionals — with suspected ties to radical networks operating out of Jammu and Kashmir. In Gujarat, the ATS caught another doctor, Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, allegedly attempting to extract ricin, a lethal biological toxin, under the guidance of ISKP operatives. Meanwhile, pilots landing at Delhi’s IGI Airport reported multiple incidents of GPS spoofing — a cyber form of electronic warfare capable of disrupting aircraft navigation and communication.
Each of these on its own would be alarming. Together, they form a mosaic of a low-cost, high-impact decentralized warfare strategy — one that blurs the lines between terrorism, cyber warfare, and biological threat. This is not the 26/11 model of centralized, foreign-planned attacks. This is 2025’s version of terrorism — fragmented, technical, and hybrid, leveraging local recruits, civilian expertise, and off-the-shelf materials to bypass traditional intelligence filters.
The New Face of Radicalization
The most disturbing element is the profile of the operatives. Gone are the days when militants came from remote madrassas or border villages. Today’s recruits are graduates, doctors, engineers — professionals who understand chemistry, electronics, and software. They don’t rely on state-supplied weapons; they fabricate their own from open-source manuals and everyday materials. Their knowledge allows them to weaponize fertilizers, convert castor oil into poison, and even manipulate satellite navigation systems.
This is why conventional counter-terrorism approaches — arrests, surveillance, and border fencing — will no longer suffice. India is dealing with smart terror: ideologically driven but technologically empowered.
Regional Shadows and Proxy Games
The timing of these incidents is not accidental. Intelligence inputs indicate that militant camps have resurfaced in Nepal and Bangladesh, where thousands of trainees are reportedly being prepared under new extremist fronts. Pakistan’s recent naval outreach to Bangladesh — including a naval chief’s visit to Dhaka and joint maritime discussions — has raised eyebrows in Indian strategic circles. Whether or not there is direct state involvement, the pattern suggests a geopolitical recalibration aimed at surrounding India with soft launchpads for anti-India activities.
Simultaneously, Pakistani extremist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad have publicly vowed “revenge” for India’s counter-insurgency operations, while their affiliated Twitter handles were reportedly active even before the Delhi blast occurred — indicating pre-planned propaganda coordination. Add to this the alleged espionage arrest in Russia involving S-400 designs, and it becomes evident that India’s security grid is being tested on multiple, simultaneous fronts — physical, digital, and psychological.
Policy Prescription: Building a Multi-Domain Defence Doctrine
India’s response must evolve as quickly as the threat. Three pillars need immediate action:
- Integrate Cyber, Chemical, and Counter-Terror Command Structures
India needs a Unified Hybrid Threat Command that brings together the IB, NIA, DRDO, cyber defence agencies, and public health departments. The coordination gap between these silos leaves dangerous blind spots — as seen when GPS spoofing went largely unnoticed until pilots reported anomalies. - Regulate Precursor Chemicals and Sensitive Lab Equipment
Substances like ammonium nitrate and castor seed extracts are available over-the-counter. A digital tracking system for bulk purchases of such dual-use materials must be rolled out, alongside awareness campaigns for suppliers and academic institutions. - De-Radicalize the Educated
Counter-radicalization efforts must extend beyond mosques to medical colleges, engineering campuses, and research labs. This requires both soft outreach — promoting civic nationalism — and hard vetting of digital ecosystems where radical content circulates. Just as the government monitors cross-border financing, it must monitor the intellectual financing of radicalism — the online echo chambers that normalize extremist narratives among educated youth.
A National Wake-Up Call
India’s internal security establishment can no longer afford to treat each incident as isolated. The arrests in Faridabad and Gujarat, the navigation spoofing in Delhi skies, and the terror-linked chatter from South Asia are connective dots in a single operational design: to paralyze India’s confidence and global image just as world leaders like Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu prepare to visit New Delhi.
This is, in essence, multi-front warfare without formal declaration. It’s kinetic and psychological, decentralized but coordinated, local in execution yet global in ideology.
The Delhi blast was not just a tragedy — it was a test run. If India fails to read the deeper pattern, the next wave may not need a truck full of explosives. It could come from a lab, a server, or even a hospital ward.
The choice before India’s policymakers is stark: continue fighting yesterday’s wars, or prepare for tomorrow’s.
Hybrid terror is already here. The question is — are we ready to confront it as a nation?
