CLAWS Issue Brief Examines the “White-Collar Terrorists

LT GEN DP PANDEY (R)

The Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) has published an Issue Brief by Maj Gen Roopesh Mehta, PVSM, SM, VSM, tracing the origin and continuing relevance of the term “white-collar terrorists” — first articulated by Lt Gen D.P. Pandey during his tenure as GOC, Chinar Corps.
The brief examines how the phrase filled a conceptual gap in counterinsurgency thinking: distinguishing armed terrorists and Over Ground Workers from ideological facilitators who sustain radicalization from within respectable social and institutional structures. It further explores the constitutional and legal questions involved in formalizing such a category, drawing on comparative frameworks from the US, UK, France, Germany, and Australia.
Keywords
White-collar terrorism; Counterinsurgency; Jammu and Kashmir; Ideological facilitation; Radicalization; OGWs; Terrorism law; Constitutional safeguards.

This Issue Brief is published by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS). The complete paper, including references and bibliography, is available on the official CLAWS website. Read the full document here
Copyright & Disclaimer
© All Rights Reserved 2026, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).
No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, archived, retained, or transmitted through print, speech, or electronic media without prior written approval from CLAWS. The views expressed and suggestions made in the article are solely those of the author in his personal capacity and do not carry any official endorsement. Responsibility for the contents rests entirely with the author.
