Lessons we need to learn, questions we need to ask
I hope now on government/military disallow all live coverage of any *live* mission conducted by security forces AND LET THE SECURITY FORCES RUN THE SHOW. They are putting their lives in danger - and everyone else needs to do whatever is best for their operation.
Definitely not pressurize them with constant questioning about plans, strategy & ( Read more... )
Also, it would be nice you try and figure out some basic things like what has been the frequency of external agression on US soil before declaring "victory" of what they did.
And it looks like Barkha has won. Somehow she'd been able to convince you that this is a big deal. For example: more people die every year due to Naxal attacks. But you can't relate to that. 24x7 TV coverage of upscale places is what moves you. J&K has been going though far more issues through the years but no, that didn't move you.
What moves you is the smell of your own fear; fear that places that you would imagine yourself or your loved ones frequenting now seem vulnerable. So please stop commenting on what the country should do at large. Instead realize that you are feeling insecure and want to get over it by bombing a few places and then some up with some warm and comforting laws that would hardly make any real impact besides making you feel good.
I know this qualifies as borderline hate comment; but I'll let you deal with it as you see hit. Just don't bomb me.
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The despicable part is that this one is called Mumbai's 9/11. The attacks of 11/9 [:)] resulted in ~ 3000 people dying that day. From around the mid-80s (Operation Bluestar) & the riots following Indira's assassination to after the 1993 Bombay blasts, there were major terrorist incidents just about every year, whether it was a bomb on an aircraft (Kanishka) or a kidnapping (Rubaiya Saeed) or political assassinations (Longowal, Beant Singh, Rajiv Gandhi). After 1993, there was a lull for a few years with a few sporadic attacks. Then a massacre in Chattisinhpura, blasts in Coimbatore, an attack on J&K's assembly, Parliament, Godhra & the resultant riots, attack on Akshardham, 5 bombings in Mumbai in a period of 5 months, Diwali blasts in Delhi ... I'm running out of breath. We've had far too many "9/11s".
There is a need to inculcate an understanding of being watchful without being hyper-sensitive. CNN-IBN reported yesterday that a grocer around Nariman House said that some folks he'd not seen in the area earlier had bought 50,000 worth provisions from him in the last few days. Things like that should make you perk up and go to the police. Do what you have to do. If the police doesn't respond, then you could choose to go to a higher authority or drop the ball altogether. But individuals must do their bit.
The political establishment needs to do something about intelligence agencies. If they're not doing a good enough job, disband it. Shivraj Patil said yesterday when asked about prior-intelligence reports "Maalomaat to hote hain, lekin aise nahin maaloom hota hai ki kahan aur kab attack hoga". Next thing he'll want an invitation sent to his home 2 weeks before an attack!
We also need to have a rethink about a government's primary responsibility. To me, it is securing the borders and ensuring the protection of the country's citizens. The secondary responsibilities are bijli, sadak, pani, roti, kapda, makan, etc. Right now the political establishment has a vested interest in making the secondary responsibilities appear as the primary responsibility.
If security needs to be stepped up at airports, railway stations, bus terminuses etc. and one of the deterrents is a higher charge for visitors, then we must be ready to pay the cost associated with security, in terms of time spent being frisked or the price of platform tickets. Over-crowded stations and bus terminuses are great places for terrorists to merge in with the populace. How many times has an airport been blasted? In contrast, how many times has a bus terminus or a railway station been a target?
There're just far too many easy ways for a terrorist to attack any place in India. How many times have airline or airport authorities insisted on seeing your photo id when you're taking a flight? How many times has the railway travel ticket examiner asked you to show your photo id when you've booked an e-ticket?
People in authority get away without the normal security procedures, because they're the privileged ones. What's the penalty for violating the Indian Passport Act and taking along a woman and boy claiming them to be family? Being expelled from the Lok Sabha, when the Act prescribes a fine of Rs. 5k (!) and 2 years in jail.
Stop exceptions in security checks. Enforce them properly. Increase close-circuit cameras at public places. There will be a cost to the residents, builders, tenants, owners, etc. But the cost is miniscule compared with the loss of human capital caused due to terrorist attacks occuring every 6 weeks.
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Now that there has been an incident in the hotel and the railways, securing them is not the solution. Infact the terrorists must be really stupid to strike at the same place again. They like to strike at an unexpected places and in an unexpected time. We need to put our money on Rapid action forces, Intelligence etc.. not securing locations one-by-one.
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RAF or NSG commandos are a reactionary mechanism. They are as much needed as preventive measures are, which includes intelligence & more importantly making sense of the inputs.
PS: Railway stations & trains are a favourite haunt of terrorists. Far too often these have been targets.
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Edited the post, and took off some really non-sensical part. But I believe the issue stays, 6 weeks later there will be another attack & then another, and I hope that there is some little thing that WE can do which will improve our chances of preventing it.
Yes, these attacks are hitting way closer to home than the Naxals. I am not saying do not address Naxalism, but the impunity & the frequency with which these atacks have been hitting us has scared & angered me.
With the frquency going up, what you said about casualties from terrorism vs Naxalism could soon be turned around.
Yes, change is difficult to digest.
Also, it would be nice you try and figure out some basic things like what has been the frequency of external agression on US soil before declaring "victory" of what they did.
My view of the world is created (or destroyed) by what I see around & the media & people I know are a large part of it. From what I know there have been no serious attacks on the US, I'd love to be corrected. No attempts either. Knowing what they have done, it would have been much simpler to invoke hatred & a greater degree of passion amongst young jehadis to carry out strikes there. But there haven't been attempts at that. I don't know the reasons, but let us figure out.
I did write some very crappy stuff, which deserved the hate comment. Thanks!
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