One year.
It is easy to be cynical on the first anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks. UPA government was voted back to power in elections where 26/11 wasn’t even a major issue. The non-performing Congress-NCP alliance won Maharashtra third time in a row. Vilas Rao Deshmukh – then chief minister of Maharashtra – is back as a Union minister. RR Patil – that “small incident” guy – is back as the home minister of the state. Sainiks – though nowhere in sight during the 60 hour ordeal – are often on streets terrorizing fellow citizens. As if Shiv Sena was not bad enough we have MNS to contend with now.
Two of the three accused on trial for the attacks were in police custody before the attacks and intelligence agencies had some prior information about the impending attacks. However there was a communication breakdown between various agencies and even though it is hard to say if the attacks could have avoided – certainly some lives could have been saved. The Headley-Rana connection wasn’t probed even after the attacks until the duo was arrested by American authorities. We don’t know if things are run any differently now.
9/11 led to a high-powered bipartisan commission that assiduously probed the circumstances surrounding the attacks. 26/11 led to the Ram Pradhan committee report just to investigate the “police response”. The report became a political punching bag and its contents are still unknown. The top brass of Mumbai police is busy fighting among themselves publicly. So are our MPs. And the truth – it seems – will never come out on 26/11.
Meanwhile South Mumbai didn’t come out to vote this time either. In related news, it rained again in Mumbai during monsoons and the roads got clogged.
And our media still hyperventilates.
But then there are reasons to be hopeful too.
India didn’t forget. 26/11 was not reduced to just another terror attack in the country. The main objectives of the attacks – to sow communal discord among Indians – failed. To force India or Israel to re-evaluate their relationship by killing Jewish hostages failed too. Last I checked Shashi Tharoor was at Nariman House for an international commemoration of the event.
The response of the Indian government was resolute and for the first time Pakistan was forced to recognize the identities of the terrorists and the fact that the attacks were planned from its territory. Yesterday the Pakistani government indicted Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi and 6 others for the attacks. Ajmal Kasab is being tried in an Indian court and his arrest along with decayed bodies of his 9 accomplices – without promised bodily scents or halo – would serve a grim reminder to youths looking for a shortcut to heaven.
National Investigation Agency has been formed and P Chidambaram has replaced the ineffectual Shivraj Patil as the home minister. By keeping up the diplomatic pressure on Pakistan India has successfully managed to prevent any major attack for a year. This allowed the Indian government to focus its efforts on tackling the Maoist terrorism in vast swathes of the countryside. In 2008 alone over 900 people were killed by Maoist terrorists.
Steps have been taken to better respond to such attacks. Force 1 has been constituted in Mumbai whose teams can deploy anywhere in the city within 20 minutes. NSG has now deployed its Special Response Units in the major cities of India. Sophisticated arms and equipments are being procured and better monitoring capabilities incorporated. There seems to be a certain realization within the establishment that we can’t fight a 21st century menace with 20th century mindset.
The relationship between India and United States has grown stronger with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, being invited as the first state guest of the Obama administration. The joint statement released during the visit has terrorism as it major plank and calls the Indo-US partnership “indispensable for global peace and security”. India has finally managed to get rid of the hyphenation between itself and Pakistan. The new coinage – AfPak – obviously didn’t needed one. The words of condemnation from the international community for terrorism in India are no longer accompanied with calls to resolve disputes with Pakistan.
***
A government is as good and as responsible as its citizens. MJ Akbar recently wrote, “The politician will only be as resolute as the citizen, and our sensitivities have been dulled by a culture of complacence.” If we want a more secure India – we have to be a part of it. Our response to terrorism can’t be piecemeal. We need to fix the system. If we uncover some unsavory truths along the way – let it be. But never again.
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So much of optimism? Really?
Frankly, I see 26/11 as just another incident, undeserving of the attention it has gotten from the media and the world.
I am still unconvinced that I do not need to worry about going to Rajinder Nagar on Republic Day.
Dear author, I mean no animosity, this is my apathy/hopelessness/disgust speaking
The inconvenient truth may be that there are sympathizers inside our country who have knowingly or unwittingly have helped the terrorists. After all it’s difficult to imagine how the terrorists in their very first trip to Bombay were able to pinpoint their targets so well…..even in the narrow by lanes of Nariman House.
At one level are the anti-nationals with grandiose plans of imposing their bigoted world view, and at the other dim witted bullies like the Thackerays – whose nuisance value can only be matched by their stupidity. In the middle there is a mass of humanity that is complacent, indifferent and at times scared. We will continue to bribe when we can, violate laws when we are able to, tolerate incompetence/corruption little realizing that we pay for all this through our lives if we are unlucky or at the least our tax money – perhaps the most expensive expenditure of a middle class salaried individual.
Unless we change ourselves, respect human dignity, have a civic sense and most importantly respect the rule of the law, things will not change. What can we talk about a police which only knows how to be corrupt and not fight intelligently when the time calls for it?
As we learn to be silent at every little indignity we impose as well as suffer, we will only get to accept with nonchalance when we see that the even the nth terrorist attack on us does not evoke the right response. Only thing that is better this time is that instead of targeting the innocent hapless minority, we have chosen to burn candles. Very soon we will go back to our bribing, squabbling and uncouth ways. Each time floods happen, the story repeats itself ; and each time terrorists attack, it’s just the same. Ever wondered why these jihadist terrorists do not plan suicide bombings – that’s because in their contempt of us Indians, they will not bother to die for their cause as they do against their western enemies…
Sudie:
I completely share your frustration. It will take us many more years to fix the system but we will get there. I am very hopeful.
There were indeed people in India who did help the terrorists to plan attacks. Some of the reconnaissance was done by Fahim Ansari & Sabahuddin Ahmed. Rest was done probably by David Headley. There is no proof yet that they were being guided by someone in India during the attack. All the 10 terrorists were shown videos of their targets before they arrived and they had very precise GPS systems to guide them. Then they had their handler on the phone. I do agree though that there are some unanswered questions still.
The danger Thackerays pose can’t be underestimated. Their role during the Bombay riots is well documented in which hundreds of innocent Indians lost their lives. Even the so called secular Congress government that constituted the Sri Krishna Commission to investigate the riots has neither accepted nor acted upon its recommendations.
The rule of law is hardly ever applied to the rich and the mighty in India except under immense public pressure.
I fully agree. Chidambaram is giving apology for the non availability of the bullet proof of the ats chief. The system is completely corrupt and somewhere everybody is caught in the web. All of us give bribe when it requires us as that is the way to get the work done.
Unfortunately that has gone to the extent of compromising the security of the country. Indian government has not clearly spelt out what amount of information and coordination was done by people within the country. How did the terrorist manage to get the sim of various companies operating in india.
Even in the case of the father and son duo in europe it is only after the efforts of the usa. Our policy has the urgent work to do the duty of our politicians and our intelligence is busy either trying to expose political opponent or cover up ruling bosses mess
good article. Mohib ji aapney bilkul sahi kaha, hamarey watan mein communal riots to hawa dena bahut aasaan hain. Pakistanion ko chullu bhar paani mein doob marna chahiey, itney logon ka katl-e-aam kar diya aur abhi bhi kisi ko sza nahin di. Well, i hope India stays strong and all communities stay together against this menace.
Jay:
I think we should be wary of generalizing. I hope you are not saying that all Pakistanis are complicit in these attacks. sazaa to hamne bhii kisii ko nahiiN dii hai abhii. These things do take time.
Indians have shown immense maturity over the past few years despite multiple provocations. Let us hope it remains that way.
Well, its obvious i didnt mean that every pakistani is involved in it. In the case of saza dena, i hope we dont hang this one guy we’ve got, kya pata kab kya raaz ugl dey. We should keep him & interrogate for the whole life. There was a documentary that was issued on 26/11 with these culprit’s voices, in which you can hear these ppl talking to pakistan. One of the survivors in the Taj says that he saw one of the terrorists killing an old indian lady. this terrorist put the whole magazine of bullets in that lady but the lady didnt fall and kept smiling standing firm. The terrorist got amused that why is she smiling at him while he is killing her, but he took out the second magazine and shot the whole magazine in that lady. While even after i had seen the movie, i kept on thinking what kinda lady had she been and what was she thinking bleeding out & dying but still smiling? Thats mother India, with a huge heart, humanity at its best and yet a human being on the sheer mercy of another who is emotionally and intellectually numb with hate. While through the whole conversation the handler in pakistan kept on instructing like “sir key beech mein goli maaro, aur phone band mar karo, i want to listen to voice of goli while you shoot ppl dead” Here is the link to that documentary, totally cold barbarian carnage;
http://watch.thirteen.org/video/1341327345
Can you imagine that many in Pakistan still has alot of support for these guys? According to western media, there are many pak govt “sympathizers” for these groups and they are trying their best to repeat such things or hitting the areas where hindu/muslims riots can begins. These groups have huge public support in pak. No, im not bitter or saying this just out of a whim, there are reports on the western media. There are many brainwashed ppl in paki society, specially in some areas. I guess, we just have to prepare ourselves and defeat these forces. Although, i know yeh sab hawa mein baatein hai, ground level pey wohi kuch hai,
Forget terrorists from Pakistan. The problem is deep within us. As a nation we are not known for discipline and accountability. But in today’s world this can prove to be a fatal weakness.
We refuse to look out for those amongst us and do not care if the guilty go unpunished. On one hand is the case of people like Mulayam Singh, Laloo Yadav, Madhu Koda who continue to make a mockery of the legal system. On the other hand we have competent people like Narendra Modi who continues to ignore a section of the population who do not matter to him – giving politics a sinister shade of evil – a Nazi party in itself. And then ofcourse there is a Congress – a closed party of the rich class that acquired wealth not on merit but on sycophancy, corruption and policy of divide to rule. This is fertile ground for enemies to spread their venom:
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne051209double_jeopardy.asp
Civil society in India has to change before we can even begin to address the rot in the system. We cannot afford to look at India as a zero sum game or to settle ancient wrongs. We are better off than maybe we were a year back but we are still very tolerant of lack of accountability. In the US, it is a fact of the matter that the citizen is far more vigilant and aware of their duties.
I totally agree, citizens are the eyes and ears of any system fighting against this menace. I live in the west and now i feel scared going to India. I know over here, if i need help, world’s best help will be available to me within a few minutes. Although, i understand, anything can happen anywhere, but atleast i know the system here will try its best to save me if the need arises. India is mostly seen as a poor, backward, third world country, which is true while Indians on the other hand have cell phones and stroll in a shopping malls/ eat out in Mcdonald and Subways and think they are the superpower. Indians don’t even know whats something called “system” or what it takes to be a super power. Western societies are educated societies while in India, you can see in parliament how ppl behave. I mean, i cant imagine even touching a person, while they are slapping each other. Regional language/caste system/fake national pride etc are concerns for them, Mayawati has spent thousands of crores on her statues while the same years there were rise in farmer suicide in UP, tv stations are being attacked openly, and of course hindu/muslim card is so easy to play, well-off ppl have servants and cars etc and they think everybody else is subhuman to them. While media is trying their best to put India at par with US but over here they dont even give sh*t to India. Western passports dont even need visas to go to other countries while Indians dont get visas. Indians working in call centers think they have achieved something distinctive while they are just serving the west staying up all nights. 50% of population is living under extremely compromised situations.OMG, lets not even talk about cleanliness. I feel like throwing up sometimes when i see places in India on the cable, dirty, dirty, dirty. Either there is no rain or if it rains, all the systems are clogged up and all the garbage etc is flowing on the streets. I can go on and on. Ehhh, i know if i say all this then some Indians get very defensive and of course personal attacks are now part of Indian language. I would love to go back and live in INdia( although i have spent most of my life away from it), but only if i know the law system,life style, cleanliness etc will be of western standard. I do love India but its pathetic that i can be mostly proud of its past but its present and anticipated future is………………………………………………………………………….
Jay
I apologize if I sound rude. I believe poor self esteem and a sense of despondency is far worse than indifference. While we should be proud of being Indians, it should not cloud our judgement of our shortcomings. We can choose to run or stay our ground to fight.
My comments were directed towards the need for us to be angry and not be ashamed of our situation. Anger makes one take action but shame only makes one hide. There are many non-Indians who come to India to make a difference and make this land their homes. On the other hand we have many Indians who run away and live in the shame for their rest of their lives that they were born as Indians. At one time India was the place where people would seek to find a route to. The Americas was discovered by an explorer who set out to find an alternate sea route to India. Like any great civilization, India has had its ups and downs. But fact remains that we have been one of the oldest living civilizations apart from China.
If we believe in ourselves – we can and I believe, we will emerge as a stronger nation and a better people – Not on the basis of war/subjugation and hate but as a shining example of knowledge, spirituality, tolerance, ethical conduct and respect for all life forms.
no, you are not being rude(thanks though), its a social site for public discussion. Im not as hopeful as you are, but we dont have to agree or disagree.