From Kashmir to cyberspace: Redefining India’s security landscape

On August 5, 2025, the union’s Home Minister Amit Shah became the longest-serving Home Minister, portraying his name in India’s political history, completing 2,258 days of office and surpassing LK Advani’s record. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him, calling the milestone “just the beginning” but the occasion was more than a number. It symbolizes the changes in security architecture inside India, from the icy heights of Ladakh to the dense forests of Bastall, from the northeastern mountains to the network frontlines of the digital age, and it symbolizes an end.

When Shah held charges in June 2019, the country faced deep long-term challenges. Jamu and Kashmir are still trapped in political uncertainty and radical violence. Maoist insurgency still plagues much of central India. Northeast struggles with armed insurgency and unresolved border disputes. Cybercrime, narcotic trafficking, illegal immigration and inadequate preparedness for disasters further tests the restrictions of Indian security agencies.

His most certain moment was during his 70-day term of office, with the abolition of Article 370, fulfilling the wish of a seven-year-old “one flag, one constitution, and one prime minister”. Jamu & Kashmir is fully integrated into India’s constitutional framework and reorganized into two union territories, and for the first time in decades, peace began to replace permanent disputes. In the years since then, the impact has been obvious. Violence in the valley fell by 86%, stone stabbings were over, and terrorist activities had met with all the force of the law.

This zero-tolerance approach to terrorism extends beyond Kashmir. The NIA and UAPA amendment authorization bodies target terrorist financing directly and designate individuals as terrorists, dismantling networks like India’s popular front and undermining their organizational backbone. In the Northeast, decades of rebellion that ended in six years reduced the AFSPA’s footprint and led more than 10,500 rebels to surrender weapons.

Also decisive is the movement against Maoist rebellion. Under Shah, the Naxal violence plummeted sharply, with the main leaders neutralized and thousands surrendered. His announcement that the goal of eliminating Namasism by March 2026 is still normal.

Shah’s vision of security extends to the realm of combat without bullets. In the field of cybercrime, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has become a national neural centre, blocking fraudulent communications, dismantling online ransom rackets and preventing financial losses from reaching tens of millions. His war on narcotics was equally relentless, seizing drugs worth over Rs 1.1 lakh, undermining international trafficking networks and establishing anti-drug cooperation with 46 countries.

Disaster management has also shifted from reactive relief to proactive preparation. The National Disaster Fund has been greatly increased, with geographic-based early warning systems rolling out, and international humanitarian missions performed at a speed, from earthquake relief in Türkiye and Syria to vaccine diplomacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimated reduction in the loss of cyclones is demonstrated, which demonstrates the effectiveness of early alerting and integrated response systems.

Legislatively speaking, his tenure has passed the Citizenship Amendment, avoiding the protection of persecuted minorities in neighboring countries and introducing three new criminal laws that have revolutionized India’s judicial delivery system. These reforms prioritize crimes against women and children, enable electronic applications in serious cases, authorize forensic evidence and repeal the sedition law to ensure justice is both an obstacle and a more equitable one.

Amit Shah’s record is not only one of the longevity. It is also a rare fusion of political continuity and administrative determination to achieve results. He redefined the outline of security in India, brought peace to conflict zones, removed deep-rooted threats and prepared the nation for emerging challenges in an interconnected world.

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