The terrorists want the Indian government to look weak in the eyes of the public. A series of attacks by the TV channels have succeeded in bringing a government down to its knees, something which the terrorists normally failed to do.
The terrorists want to get rid of Union ministers and chief ministers, and create some chaos and upheaval in ruling parties. The TV channels have ensured that as in the post-French Revolution period, ministers, chief ministers, deputy chief ministers are axed at the drop of a hat.
The terrorists want to create a religious divide, and polarise society into majority community and minorities, and again the television media helps to add fuel to fire and play into the hands of the terrorists by organising debates on the role of the majority and minority communities.
This is not to say that there should be no accountability. While some persons have become the fall guys, the persons who really let down the country and failed to take any steps in time have gone scot-free.
Topping this list are the Navy and the Coast Guard. From all accounts, the terrorists have come across the sea, landed on the Indian coast, touched base at two ports in Gujarat, changed to speed boats and reached Mumbai close to the Taj Hotel. To make things worse, the Navy and Coast Guard have been in the midst of a preparedness campaign to handle attacks from the sea and deal with sea terrorism and so on. Barring some mechanical messages about the likelihood of some attacks by the sea route, the Navy and Coast Guard failed on three counts - failure to keep a watch on vessels entering Indian territory; failure to nab the terrorists when they landed on the Indian coast; failure to nab the speed boats that reached Mumbai with terrorists and their explosiv
es. Any one of the three could have saved the country from the disaster. Instead, the guys being blamed are the cops who are on the streets having to deal with terrorists, who have entered the city through the sea route, grab hotels and keep hotel inmates as hostages. The cops, therefore, have to deal with terrorists with one hand tied behind their backs to try and save lives even while dealing with terrorists.
Going by the accountability theory
set by the television channels, the top brass in the Navy and Coast Guard should have resigned. But they were perhaps too busy trying to secure higher pay and allowances. And if the Union Home Minister should resign, all the more reason why the Defence Minister, in charge of these forces, should resign. However, we have the strange spectacle of Defence Minister A K Antony presiding over the resignation of Vilasrao Deshmukh! And carrying out a mission in Mumbai to find a replacement for Deshmukh!! Antony selects the new CM of Maharashtra, and undertakes a political exercise, confabulating with AICC leaders, Maharashtra leaders, MLAs and MPs, at a time when he should be concentrating, at least now, on taking steps to save the seas from the terrorist intruders, and making the country safe from further attacks.
The second set of gross failures that have gone unnoticed and without any punishment is the hotel management. Ratan Tata, who owns the Taj group of hotels, has the gall and the audacity to talk about security and Intelligence steps which the country should be taking, forgetting the lapses in his own hotel which led to the tragedy. Terrorists have been
given rooms in the hotel without any proper check-up, their fake IDs had been accepted, there was no proper check of their bags which contained explosives, ammunition, guns and what not. It's also apparent that the terrorists have received insider help relating to layout, maps, interior arrangements, etc., though Tata glibly denies any such thing. There has been no visible action by the managements against erring staff, and no sign of remorse from Tata on the failure at his hotel. After all, it's not a public place. It's a private establishment, and the hotel management should have had a professional security mechanism in place to safeguard the hotel and the inmates. To lay all the blame at the door of the government for things which went horribly wrong inside the hotel is just escapism. No one in the top management of the hotel has resigned for the blunders there.
The lessons to be learnt from this entire episode are:
There is need for a comprehensive National Data System, where data relating to every citizen, to begin with all voters (since those above 18 have
registered with the Election Commission for voter IDs, giving name, address and so on with photograph). The state EC records need to be hooked up to the Central NDS to create this database. Further, info from ration cards must be fed. Data from banks on account-holders, from those investing in mutual funds, IPOs, booking for telephone, cell phone (available with mobile operators and landline providers like BSNL, Airtel and so on), beneficiaries of loans, government pension schemes, must be integrated.
Similarly, data from credit cards, crime records in the States, vehicle and property purchasers must be brought into this network. Data from colleges and schools too needs to be brought in. Data on employees, both in the public and private sectors have to be processed as also from the construction and real estate sectors. Similarly, info from RC books of vehicles, driving licences, must be fed too. Hopefully, if all this is done, over 95 per cent of the country will be brought into this network. In course of time, there can be a single ID card which is multi-purpose and used/shown wherever required like the PAN card. People can be trace
d wherever they go and whatever they do, raising the security bar in the country.
The Coast Guard and Navy need a massive strengthening effort in terms of surveillance and equipment. For instance, it's well-know that they need smaller vessels, like speed boats, to enter shallow waters, where militants are able to gain access.
Various wings of the Defence and Home ministries, with State agencies handling security and Intelligence, need to meet often and take necessary steps in time rather than do a blame-game after an incident. Periodic reviews and timely intervention can help.
Intelligence must be stepped up in the Middle-East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are the epi-centres of terrorism, to anticipate events.
Intelligence moves must be strengthened in the underworld. The Police and Home ministries should have regular efforts to have sleuths working may be as NGOs or the mafia to scent and track militants and anyone
having links with them.
The strength of smugglers must be smashed. It's clear that there is a strong link between smugglers and the terrorists. They thrive on one another. Smugglers' dens and operations must be busted. It's pretty common knowledge where the main centres of the smugglers are. Customs officials who are unable to do this must be suspended, replaced with efficient, honest officers. These officers must be rewarded, given incentives.
Tenants must be made to register with the nearest police stations, every time they move in or move out. The forms should have details, photographs of all the inmates, which should form part of police files.
Records of stolen vehicles should be available in the NDS mentioned above and such info should be easily accessed from the same by police networks in every State.
Security compliance should be accepted as a way of life, and should strictly be enforced at the entrance of every building in the country. Metal detectors sh
ould be a must for every building entrance.
CCTVs should be installed in all government departments/public buildings, and more importantly should be watched 24x7 by cops.
Commandos in every major city should be ready like a rapid action force, programmed to leave in their vehicles in specified time like fire service units. Commando security for politicians should be scaled down, based on need, and not to be displayed as status symbols.
Most of this is doable provide
d there is a will. Success in combating Terror will largely revolve around minimising Error. Error can lead to Terror. It's time we stopped blaming politicians and be better citizens. Fight corruption, inefficiency, and the Fight against Terror becomes easier. We can't be corrupt and dishonest in whatever we do, but expect the rest of the world to be honest, efficient and pure. All those who appear on television channels and make big statements about the need to be honest and efficient against terror, must eschew dishonesty, fear and corruption from their lives.
In The News
This is really bad news for prestigious Historical City. These more then 400 years love based Hyderabad city now facing vigil alerts in every moment and every incident. India’s most popular and cultural oriented Hyderabad city placed in the list of Indian city’s most targeted by various Muslim oriented terrorism organisations.
in India. It is preceded only by Mumbai and Delhi. The city has witnessed four major attacks since 2005, while 14 blasts have occurred in Mumbai and seven in Delhi in the last six years. Though the city had faced terror strikes from 1992, when Mr G. Krishna Prasad, the additional superintendent of police, was shot dead by an ISI-sponsored terrorist Mujeeb Ahmed, major attacks have occurred only in recent times. The first was in October 2005, when a suicide attack was carried out at the Special Task Force headquarters in the city.
people and injured more than 60, while another explosion in Hyderabad’s Macca Masjid killed 11 people. These attacks changed the profile of the amiable multicultural city and made it an unsafe metro located in the crosshairs of terror operatives. Police believes that all the attacks on the city were masterminded by outfits operating from foreign soils. “Ten years back we used to go to any place without any security worries,” said Sandhya, a Journolist. “Now we see metal detectors everywhere.”
re in Hyderabad alone. Security experts say that the city would continue to face terror attacks as long as the police are not given autonomy. But political masters are unwilling to even consider that option. A senior police officer pointed out that in the US, police was given more autonomy after the September 11 attacks and this enabled them to prevent further attacks on the country. A similar change has to happen in Hyderabad for it to become a safe city again.
re in Hyderabad alone. Security experts say that the city would continue to face terror attacks as long as the police are not given autonomy. But political masters are unwilling to even consider that option. A senior police officer pointed out that in the US, police was given more autonomy after the September 11 attacks and this enabled them to prevent further attacks on the country. A similar change has to happen in Hyderabad for it to become a safe city again.
