Abstract

Upon the conclusion of the Indian freedom struggle, India was fragmented into 565 independent princely states and colonies of varying sizes. The political integration of these princely states into the new Indian Union was a colossal task, as was the demarcation of India’s new international borders with Pakistan and the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Founding Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru disliked the idea of the use of force against Indian citizens and did not approve the expansion of the central police forces or armed forces. Internal security issues such as border defences, riot control, counterterrorism and counter-insurgency were not a top priority for the newly formed Indian government. The government was preoccupied with political governance issues, including installing federal, state and sub-state administrative structures for India, building institutional mechanisms for governance, encouraging democratisation, political integration in India and the rehabilitation of refugees.