'Fewer than 100 armed Hindu radicals in India'

According to Home Secretary GK Pillai, there are fewer than 100 armed radical Hindus in the entire country.

In an exclusive interview to rediff.com, Pillai, who is retiring on Thursday after 39 years of service, said, "At the moment they are scattered, they are very few. I would say, if we talk about so-called armed people, there will be fewer than 100 Hindu radicals in a country of our size. It's not the major problem. It's more out of retaliation for what happened."

Pillai said, "In the last few years Hindu radicalism has gone down because we didn't have many bomb blasts.  In 2004-05 the country saw many blasts, including in Akshardham and the train blasts in Mumbai. A few insensitive people felt they needed to take action because the government was not taking adequate action. I must say here that we are concerned about radicalism of any sort."  

Talking about the law and order situation, Pillai gave the theory that the country is passing through such times that social turbulence is inevitable.

He said, "This is the country where 50 per cent of the population is below the age of 25. You are growing at 9 pc economic growth. There is the information revolution. There is the communication revolution taking place where you have got 600 million mobile phones and instant knowledge and information in every hand holding it. There are rising aspirations of the youth. So, you are going to get what I always call "turbulence" in society.

"It will be there for at least the next two decades whatever anybody can or will do. This turbulence will be there. You can be the most brilliant administrator but you can't avoid this turbulence because the youth of India want a better life, quickly. They are not willing to wait."

Also read: Pillai's office was never bugged, says Pillai

Watch this space for the entire interview with GK Pillai soon!