Another blasts - Chidambaram is to blame
- Thara Tlau
Our hon’ble home minister has recently come out with a statement – no incident of terror in last six months. The statement was meant to be a highlight of an incredible achievement by his ministry and the security establishments of India. It indeed was an awesome performance on his part keeping the country free of terror for so many months especially in view of the track record of his predecessor Shivraj Patil. Six months is such a long period to keep terror at bay in a country like ours though it’s a minnow comparing with the American’s where nothing of a terror attack has been heard of again after 9/11 which was a decade ago now. However, in reality the home minister kept terror at bay for the past six months due to some proactive actions and decisions on his part, or it’s just a lull period due to some international events or some other reasons which has nothing to do with our ‘step-up’ vigil is questionable. Whatever be it is, more than keeping terror at bay for so long the recent bomb blasts in Mumbai just after a week of his august declaration of being ‘free of terror’ point fingers at him. He is inexplicably responsible for the blasts. Why did he make such a prompt decision challenging terror when in reality we are so vulnerable to being attacked any time? It’s unwise to challenge terror when we don’t have the guts to root it out. It’s not due to our improved security set-up that terror activity didn’t take place; it’s just a lull period like a few sunny days during monsoon when the rain can arrive again anytime sooner or later. It’s in everyone’s knowledge how we are living at the mercy of terror. Our bazaars are easy a target where anyone can plant bombs anytime unsuspectingly; even easier than riding a bicycle there.
I had been suspecting a terror activity soon after reading newspaper reports on our home minister’s speech. It would have been more appropriate to remain silent if terror activity had not taken place for so long and appreciate the going on than taking credit of the situation and spewing unnecessary challenge on the terrorists as if their wings had been clipped and their activities subdued due to our inordinate security arrangements. The home ministry might claim just after the blasts that there had not been any actionable intelligence input suggesting terror attacks in Mumbai. Where the need for such input if you know how to read what’s written in the wind? Let’s try to reconstruct and analyze here what our security and intelligence establishments failed to read. Firstly, a well-known investigative journalist by name Jyotirmoy Dey was shot dead in broad daylight by bike-borne assailants in a crowded street in Mumbai last month. The underworld gangs were suspected of the murder which put immense pressure on them – on their operations and security. Some gangs even came out with statements denying their involvement and their willingness to help in nabbing the assailants. From the murder alone there’s nothing to read of any bigger consequence. But when Mumbai Police without any constructive lead in their investigation to the murder started intimidating the underworlds of highhanded repercussions if they failed to own up responsibility had brewed an atmosphere which was so charged and need to be defused, otherwise the underworlds’ business was at stake. This condition was already enough to trigger a bomb blast so as to deflect the attention on the underworld dons and their activities. This apart, our self-aggrandizing minister had let loose his tongue to remind the nation of his tremendous achievement meanwhile which could be interpreted as a challenge to someone’s (terrorists’) abilities charging the atmosphere further. So if you know how to read the pulse of the situation prevailing before the blasts, there's an enough evidence of a ‘coming soon’ terror which is stronger than the type of intelligence inputs our central intelligence agencies used to send to the states vaguely warning them of an impending terror during Independence Day which has become routine.
Our country has a distinction of being civilized in treating captured terrorists to give a ‘fair’ trial which ordinary citizens are denied of. How many inmates of petty crimes are languishing in our jails waiting for their days of trial when the government is pretty determined to give a fair trial to Kasab, one of the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai carnage? The need of the hour is not of establishing more and more intelligence agencies with confusing nomenclatures but to set up a special terrorist court to try and dispose of only terrorist cases fast track based on a strong anti-terrorist act. How long are we going to let the public coffer bleed in protecting terrorists during their ‘fair’ trials? If POTO/ POTA of the NDA was found inadequate and susceptible to being misused by states and security forces let the UPA Government come up with a better and stronger bill. It’s a law with a strong teeth which will deal more effectively terrorist activities not the establishments of more and more intelligence and security agencies confusing their role with the already existing ones. The National Investigation Agency which was established after 26/11 incident is a good example in this regard. Moreover, if the UPA Government is so skeptical of the POTA, is there any intention of scrapping the now outdated and enormously misutilized Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act which has victimized more civilians (Indians) than militants which it was supposed to deal with?
There is no ‘too much’ vigilance when we are so prone to terrorist attacks. An awareness and support on part of the general public is needed to let our security and intelligence agencies perform their duties more efficiently. It was a ‘breaking news’ in India when Shah Rukh Khan was frisked at an American airport; frisking a celebrity of such a stature in India, we denounced. This gave a good ingredient for a comedian show there where we were mocked at wondering how Shah Rukh Khan could be frisked at an airport. It’s usual and ritual there where security is of such importance after the 9/11. We heard again of her Excellency, our Ambassador to the United States being given pat down at an airport making our Ministry of External Affairs lodging a formal protest. However, contrarily we recently heard of the President of the United States expressing his willingness to pass through security checking at airports if situation so demand. It is ‘their’ attitude and ‘our’ attitude that played so much a different role in deterring more terror attacks. Our lackadaisical attitude is one factor which can be attributed to the various terror activities in India. Even our high-heeled celebrities are no role model when it comes to following the sanctity of security procedures. The recent episodes of Bipasha Basu and Anushka Sharma trying to circumvent the customs with undeclared goods were good testimonies. If any laxity is to be shown, let it be shown to the President, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the three services chiefs. Let the rest of us be subjugated to strict security procedures whenever required but following strict privacy norms with reliable surveillance systems in order to avoid any untoward incidents. We, the citizens, have to be subservient and submissive enough to security procedures if situation calls for in order to protect our ‘fundamental liberty’ which is at stake otherwise. Are we ready for it?
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