E.R. RAMACHANDRAN writes: Terror struck the World Trade Center in New York on 9/11 and a few other places same day. That was in 2001, seven years ago. A couple of thousand people were killed. Since then how many times has terror of that magnitude hit the United States?
Terror has hit the London. Terror has hit Madrid. And some half-a-dozen places around the world. In almost all these places it has never been repeated since, and definitely not of the scale when it happened the first time. Not even in Indonesia’s Bali Island, a predominantly Muslim state.
How is it in these countries the police and the security agencies are able to keep tabs on every aspect of militant groups, known and new?
How is it that the authorities in those contries are able to track the movement of terror gang members, their bank transactions, their purchases?
How are their intelligence agencies able to intercept communication between members of different terror groups or with other groups and make preventive arrests?
Only such vigilance has helped these terror-struck nations to keep a step ahead of the terrorists and thwart their plans even after militant organizations declared their intentions to strike. Israel is a leader amongst countries which routinely stays ahead of terrorists.
Even when there is an attack, Western countries seem to be in a better position to keep their relief and rehabilitation efforts focused.
First, there is no blame game between various political parties. Medical emergency relief is arranged in quick time. The investigation proceeds without too much hindrance, with fervour, without any favour. Those that are found guilty face punishment strictly as per law of the land. Factors such as higher commands to ‘protect’ anybody on grounds of religion or ensuing election don’t come in the way or are not allowed to come in the way of investigation.
Can we say the same of India?
Why is it we fail again and again to thwart the next bomb blast in a temple, railway station or a crowded market?
Malegaon, IISc Bangalore, local trains in Bombay, the Sankat Vimochan temple in Benares, the Akshar Dham temple in Ahmedabad, the Sarojini Nagar market in Delhi, the Gokul chat centre in Hyderabad, the Mecca masjid in Hyderabad… the grisly showpieces” in our ‘Terror Gallery’ is overflowing.
Jaipur was three months ago. Now, it is the turn of Bangalore.
Even as we write this, it can be safely said that somebody somewhere is planning for the next serial blasts.
So far, we have not caught any terrorist alive so far, convicted any, nor have we sent any one to jail (apart from the 1993 serial blasts in Bombay which took more than 20 years to be cracked). On the other hand, we have the dubious record of having sent an external affairs minister (Jaswant Singh) to accompany terrorists to their safety.
Is there hope at all?
How do we fight terrorism in India?
Aren’t we following a sickening pattern in the way we ‘fight’ terrorism?
Let’s take a look.
1. Intelligence in any form doesn’t seem to exist. It is not present even after an incident has occurred. Otherwise how can we explain so many bombings all over India in markets, temples, buses and moving trains and have no clue at all before and even after the incidents? Members of terror organizations seem to freely move around with their timers, wires, crude bombs, etc, buying cycles along the way, planning their next target taking the help of local goons right under the nose of ‘intelligence’ wings’ of our Police departments. And they have ability to strike at will.
2. We seem to think that if no incident occurs on Independence Day and Republic Day in Red Fort and on Vijay Chowk, democracy is safe and kicking. No effort is spared in converting the one square km in that area filled with ministers, their families, bureaucrats and their families into another fort with a Z-category security blanket thrown in for the entire area. Meanwhile, Pappu and family in Benares, Jain and family in Hyderabad, Shinde, Arthi & Aziz travelling in a Bombay local can all be blown to pieces. Never mind! We seem to think “We, the people” are safe if the CM or Governor are safe.
3. A day after the bomb blast, the Home Minister warns still unknown terrorists, that India ‘will not succumb’ to the evil designs of terrorists. The Prime Minister wonders aloud after more than 20 years of bombing in most major cities whether we should have ‘a federal system’ to tackle this menace. Meanwhile photographs of the place where bombs were planted are shown whole day, with commentators boasting that ‘terrorists cannot stop the people from going about their jobs’ as if they had any alternatives! Sketches are drawn and redrawn and released with great fanfare. Suspicious people working / living are rounded up and questioned long after the perpetrators have escaped from the very nose of police looking for vital clues.
4. The debates in Parliament end in a farce with both members of government and opposition “trading charges”, accusing each other of playing politics amidst such a ghastly tragedy. Reports pile up on bombings as well as the sympathy statements which suspiciously have the same tone of cyclostyled sheets kept ready to be used as and when a need arises which happens with monotonous regularity.
Meanwhile, experts rush to issue statements to the media that the latest bombing must have been the handiwork of Lashkar-e- Toiba which is pooh-poohed by another expert who swears on God it is the work of Harkhat-e-Azhm. A third one feels it could be a “Bangaldeshi outfit” or “Naga Insurgents”. More conjecture, mostly irrelevant , follows.
5. VIPs starting from chairperson of ruling party, heir-apparent, opposition party chief decide to visits the place and gather ‘First hand information’ from victims, their families and eyewitnesses. Half the police who are supposedly on the ‘hot trail’ of terrorists’ are removed from the duty and ‘redeployed’ for the visit of VIP leaders.
6. Intellectuals are invited in hordes to various TV centres to give their opinion. Intellectuals, real or pseudo, do not condemn the anti-social elements in their community or their brethren across the border even when a militant organization has taken responsibility for bombing the place. The same applies when a Hindu organization or individual is involved. The only difference is across the world the ratio seems to be 1: 1000+ bombings as claimed by Muslim militant organizations themselves.
One can easily make out what’s happening. The government spokesman, with eyes set firmly on the next election, blames the Government in western countries for not having a dialogue with Muslim fundamentalists.
Leading Muslim organizations and personalities in politics, filmdom, press, though in majority, seem to lack the will to form a cohesive force and fight the handful militant organizations that is hell-bent on creating a perpetual divide between both communities.
If these groups come out openly against the negative elements in their community, it could be a starting point for a fight against the terrorism which cripples citizens of every community.
Finally, the media, especially the electronic medium, builds up frothy sound bytes as ‘Breaking News’ and drums up enough clamour whenever a bomb blast occurs, only to lose interest as the next wave of ‘breaking News’ appears.
With a limited span of interest, they do not want to go deep into the topic and nail the government as to what they are doing about the repeated bombings. For whatever reason, they seem to be playing safe. Where is the ‘investigative’ journalism here to unearth future blasts and sound intelligence agencies?
It looks as though terrorism has come to stay in India, mainly because there is only half-hearted attempt to prevent, investigate and punish the perpetrators. There is lack of political will to formulate policies because it will eat into vote banks, to enforce stricter laws.
Perhaps because of these factors even police and other agencies are lax in their approach. There is a sense of betrayal among population that the government cannot even ensure their safety.
Is there no hope for an Indian of any community in a shopping mall or in a local train or a restaurant or a temple or a mosque?
Do we have to live in a perpetual state of fear thinking ‘Mera number kab ayega /gi’?
Every point you mentioned is correct. People are always at the receiving end. After week of tantrums of investigation, everything falls back to square one.
In 1997 a false rumor spread that the city authorities were going to demolish a wall adjoining a cemetery in Jayanar 4th Blk. Within a short time, members of RoP were on rampage with weapons, destroying public and private property. A curfew followed.
Now guess how many were charged with the violence..? Well here is a hint, they belonged to the Religion Of Peace.
Ref: Blr blasts. Who is this Miss Shobha Karandlaje ..She calls an official press conf within minutes of the blasts! Where is the old Yeddi CM? A reputed party worker, first time MLA and state panchayat minister talking on behalf of the CM? If Sanjevani is to be read every sanje, this beautiful lady appears to be #1 dope for all the Karnataka journalist’s night time dreams.
The IB in India has not doing its job when it comes to common citizens. The Citizens are being killed like cattle and all that appears in the mainstream media is 5 killed and 20 injured. Mere statistics.
IB has not been giving Targeted information which can result in prevention. To guard a population of 1 Crore what is the state police and secuirty forces in public places. Are there any cameras on prowl in public places which can reduce this threat. Anyone can plant anything and get away with it.
Blame is always placed across the Border, so that you dont have to catch the conspirator or people who carried it out.
Citizens are under threat while the Politicians ensure black cats guard them around the clock with tax payers money.
Innocents have to run for cover even to lead a peacefull life.
Why it does not repeat in Western countries but repeats in India again and again?
1. Rule of Law: Unlike us, west will never invalidate a Supreme Court of India’s order as seen in Shahbanu when a group of people will start rioting. That was beginning to descent to chaos.
2. Media: Western media does NOT suffer from distorted version of secularism and spend money, time, energy in analysing roots and goal of the threat like Islamists, Jehadis- which Indian media NEVER does.
Here is a small test case: There are 100s of Mohallas in India (where minority as well as majority lives) where people do NOT pay electricity bill.
SHOW ME A GOVT (except Modi’s ) THAT HAS WILL TO ENFORCE RULE OF LAW AND CATCH CULPRITS.
Till the time Govt enforces rule of law- nothing can be done.
Every Indian Muslim is NOT a terrorist. But psuedos, media are reluctant to take the fight to those islamist, jehadi elements for reasons best known to them.
The country will pay a heavy price. Unfortunately, average Indian Muslims will pay more/ Hindus are becoming more rubble rousing, aggressive in the process.
For short term political goal, psuedos are doing major damage to the society that are permanent. Going to stay forever.
Great article despite the cheap shot at Jaswant Singh, whom Strobe Talbott and other associates have unequivocally praised as highly competent. Jaswant was, by many accounts, one of our finer external affairs ministers.
But talking of intelligence, what our society needs is better record-keeping. Intelligence can only be as good as the records. Maybe stemming from our word-of-mouth Vedic culture or whatever, Indians have been historically poor at written communication. We have seldom seen much value in book-keeping compared to, say, the imperial races such as the English, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and of course later the Americans. Is it a coincidence that in all those countries intelligence is much more advanced than it ever has been in India?
When a top intelligence officer such as Shankar Bidri (current Bangalore police commissioner) “confirmed” the hoax of the fictitious Nazi Johann Bach’s capture, I knew something was seriously wrong with the system. Home minister V.S. Acharya must overhaul the intelligence setup: Competent, enthusiastic officers who can cultivate networks and are unafraid to take risks should be placed in charge.
@ Tathagata Mukherjee
Agree very much with your views. Its 60 year practice of Pseudo Secularism which is hitting Indians hard.
Pseudo Secularist media is to be blamed for only spreading fear psychosis among the masses. The media is only waiting for sensational news and not fix the root cause of the problem.
In a Hindu Majority Country they become Minority because of the laws imposed by the Pseudo Secularists.
Pseudos are not working towards a healthy civil society.
Ok, it is a bright new day. Let us get back to talking about how MMS liberalized polity, Mayawatis coming and how Arjun Singh is the best education minister.
Considering couple of weeks back there was a focussed but failed attempt to create communal problem in Bangalore, I have a feeling both incidents are linked.
There seem to be some forces which are hell bent on keeping state in perpetual turmoil. Just look at the shameless out of power politicians in today’s newspapers demanding resignation of police, CM, HM etc etc.
What is odd is no one has blamed (yet) the blasts on the trust vote at center which approved India – US nuke pact.
we all will be concerned for only a week, from next week the ministers will take bribes to do routine transfer and postings.
All is well that which is forgotten.
Look at the beer belly of the police staff, TV visuals show inspectors searching for clues with only one hand, the other they had books, baton etc.
Is our security fit in the hands of these bribe fattened cops, I bet half of them
can’t run for a KM.
I get irked the every time Congress or the media takes up the issue of militants’ surrender.
Was not the lives of those innocent passengers of no importance to you?
While it is extremely hard for an honest and law abiding citizen to set up a business, how could anti-social elements get every legal obligation fulfilled easily(remember those “terrorists” in Mysore running a Novelty store and a PCO for which they had every paper intact)?
Karnataka government’s approach towards this has been soft like in the past. Having said that, we can not expect anything better from a government that comprises of 10 ministers against whom criminal cases are pending in the courts. It is widely known fact that, in karnataka terrorist madrasas are flourishing, terrorists have set up training camps in malenadu jungles with an aim of creating chaos in the state and still the government is in denial. Recently a suspected terrorist linked to the UK bombings was accorded VIP treatment by the state and the people alike, when he landed after being deported from Australia. It may be that the government is using the terrorists to further their goals. Nothing is surprising when corruption rules the state
@mallapottell :
Islamists, Jehadis are flourishing in India not in a day, or month, or year. They flourished over decades (funded by Arab country) thanks to Votebank politics by Congress, and inability of our media to enlighten people about these groups, their agenda and social, economic, political goals.
Islamism, Jehadism is NOT a law and order problem- its tentacles are spread all over India and global in nature. Precisely for this reason Supreme Court upheld POTA that normal laws designed to handle law and order is NOT enough AS REAL GOAL OF ISLAMIC TERRORISM, ISLAMISM IS TO DESTABILIZE THE COUNTRY.
I tried to reason with your wrong notion, because as ER wrote: someday your (as well as mine) number will come the way bomb blasts are taking place with alarming frequency.
However, I don’t blame you because we are ill-served by our media who almost rarely enlightens people about these groups and their real agenda. Thx
May Maa Bhavani, Guru Govind Singhji bless Narendra Modi to wipe out Islamists, Jehadis from India.
@Tathagata Mukherjee
Modi can’t protect his states own people and you want him to protect Indians!!! Stop day dreaming dude.
Coincidence too damning to ignore Earlier, in Rajasthan and now in Karnataka and followed by a day in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the serial bombing conveys a message hard to ignore as mere coincidence. Low intensity blasts and the methodology of using IED using cycles definitely indicates that though it is carried by outside help the perpetrators must be largely the locals and sleeper cells activated. But it has a more ominous significance. With the elections scheduled in five states this year and Lok Sabha elections not too far away, the terrorists are sending a message to the ruling UPA govt led by the Congress. There is a specualtion that BJP is on ascendancy and obviously the terrorists are trying their best by their attack to see that BJP which is accusisng the govt of appeasing the minority is driven on the backfoot.Till now the opposition parties with the Congress in the lead are calling BJP, a national party non-secular day-in and day-out indulging in Goebellian propoganda and the govt continuing with the policy of appeasement of the minorities, the implication of the message becomes quite clear.
@stupid indian : If you tie a persons hands from addressing a issue, how can u say he failed?
Guj assembly enacted a law for handling terrorism as center cares more about Muslim vote- but its waiting for Center’s approval for last 4 years.
OK, here is the code acronym NAMAT-BATAM that explains the present past and future blasts!
Not All….Are ….
Happy decoding!
***
Answer the puzzle and let us see who among us can be in the newly proposed InTel Bureau proposed by Mysore Peshwa!
Not all muslims are terrorists – but all terrorists are muslims
VP,
Well done!
Salam Aleikum
NAMAT BATAM!
To the strains of Saare Jahan se Accha,,,I hereby annoint you “VP” as the Director General of FBI (Fundamental Bureau of Investigation)…
An incredible article. Thought provoking. Incisive writing with an exhaustive covering of all aspects of security and the aftermath of bombings in our country. And most importantly it stays away from the tendency to be politically correct and use of mindless rhetoric.
I truely agree with the points you have made. but seariously speaking v the people are divided in our opinion hence v bring such a goverment which is handicapped whichever it might b weather NDA or UPA or any other they play vote bank funda and never bring any strict law for it.plus our law system too too slow.V r divided on the basis of caste,money,power,region etc.. etc.. if v want to fight against terriosim then v have to b united. and try that such people do not come to power…..