India’s Shadow War: Lone Wolves and the Fractures They Force Open

India faces a threat unlike any it has systematically prepared for during decades of counterterrorism operations. There was nothing spectacular about it: no explosives, no coordinated assault, just proximity, intent, and timing.

The Mira Road stabbing crystallises this shift in stark terms. A 31-year-old US returnee, armed with nothing more than a knife and ISIS ideological conviction, subjects two night-shift security guards to what investigators describe as a religious litmus test before attacking them. Maharashtra’s ATS swiftly takes over, uncovering ISIS references and lone-wolf terminology in his residence. Two men are hospitalised, and one suspect is in custody, but the incident exposes vulnerabilities that conventional security architectures struggle to address.

Author

Lieutenant General A B Shivane, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)