The Mumbai Terror Attacks on 26th November'08 has acted as an eye-opener for us Indians in many ways. Apart from revealing the live bomb, the active volcano that we all are seated upon, it brings us the live picture of the state of affairs surrounding us. It brings us the truth behind the scenes. And, it opens the factfile, or perhaps, the dossier of the loopholes.
Loophole 1: Media
The complete coverage of 60 hrs of the Indian Media has been a complete sham and a blot on the face of the country. The live coverage of 60 hrs, and the intervention if media in the proceedings of the army/ police operations was simply horrendous. How bad and hazardous the media intervention can prove to be for a case was quite clear in the Aarushi murder case already. But I think we failed to learn a lesson there. The same mistake has been repeated and the consequences are to be borne, not by any individual now, but by the whole country.
I just can't get the statement of our Navy Chief down my throat. He told that a police officer (not sure the exact rank or whether he was from Police or the Army) was suspended because he allowed a press reporter to hold his gun and fire a shot, due to presistent requests by the reporter. I wonder what a person, trying hard to concentrate on the terrorists, can do when someone is constantly bugging you for something. I think I would simply give the kid the candy and get over with it. So that I can continue to concentrate on what I was doing. But, I know an Army officer is not allowed to enjoy that freedom of choice.
In another of the horrifying facts I read about, the media was actually reporting how many army soldiers were going inside the hotel to rescue the people struck there. They even reported the exact locations where the personnels were entering from. And guess what? The terrorists were watching all of this too. And they were well alert and prepared for the welcoming of the surprise attackers.
Wow! Amazing!
Loophole 2: National Security
Mumbai has been the centre of attraction for everyone and everything that relates to India. It's the business capital of our country and has been at the eye of the storm many a times in the Indian history. Still, it remains the most vulnerable and ill-secured state till date. Whether it's about national security or internal state's security, Mumbai is at the mercy of the attackers. Anybody who wants can keep a bomb at the major most station of the state. Anyone can enter the city with an AK-47, RDX, or any other weapons. Maybe even a Tank in the future, if things continue to be the way they are. Nobody seems to notice and nobody seems to care! Is there nothing like National Security? What is RAW doing? Does the national security come into picture only when there's a breeching of national borders? Isn't inter- and intra- state security a part of the national security? Any Raj Thackeray can speak anything and there are riots in the state. Why are we taxpayers wasting so much money on the Defence, when there's nothing like Defence and Security? It's our hard-earned money and we have full right to know where you are wasting my money. Despite spending crores of money on Defence and the Army, I am still feeling so "on-the-road", I still don't feel secure! Is that money only to watch 60-hrs of drama on Television? Or, is that money going in to watch the fish market, bull-fighting of Politicians?!!
Loophole 3: Politics
At the end of the plethora of the drama, what are the after effects? One Anti Terrorism Act is updated and some more clauses are added to bring the terrorists to book. Our respected Foreign Affairs Minister is shouting at Pakistan but Pakistan is not even listening, and acting like an innocent. Pakistan's enjoying th support of U.S and the sympathy of the West Asian countries, comfortably saying "Terrorism has no religion." Ya, terrorism has no religion but it definitely has a region defined for it to breed in!
Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh resigned taking responsibility of the failure of security in his state. BJP has left no stone unturned to show what a big cartoon he was, or how irresponsible he was.
Is this the time for all this? Is it nothing more than one more point added to your list of election bootis? I want to know what BJP would have done if it was in power? I sometimes suspect BJP's hand behind all of this happening, in Congress's rule! I know a weird and silly thought. But, yes, I don't hear anything more than re-instating POTA from the BJP clan to create my faith in them. And, what they did with POTA is also not hidden from anyone.
This is the time to find out effective measures of improving the internal system of the country. Our country is growing at a very fast pace and it's economy is blooming. It's time to strengthen our roots, to take into account probable situations and make necessary laws. When you start something new, you take into account the expected pitfalls and remain prepared for it in advance. This incidence is clear indication that we are not prepared...whether for the terrorists or for the economic growth/recession.
It's not the time to curse or fire individuals and put the blame on someone, because it's not just one person's failure. It's not a person's or a government's failure! It's the failure of every politician living and purportedly serving the country. It's the failure of every citizen living in this country.
It's the repsonsisibility of every citizen to stay cautious of his/her surroundings and work like civilian- police. It's the least we can do and just this much of an effort from our side will make a lot of difference.
I remember a famous scene from the movie "300". The King of Sparta is meeting the King of another territory, with their respective armies. The King of Sparta asks the army men of the other King's, "What do you do?" Everyone responmds with his respective occupation - blacksmith, barber, cobbler etc. Then, he turns to his men and asks them, "What is your occupation?" They all respond in one echo " We are Spartans and we serve Sparta." It's time to be like Spartans. It's time for us to become the Shahrukh Khan's Chak De's team, where every one belongs to just one region, one religion, one state - "INDIA"
It's time to be Indian.
Loophole 1: Media
The complete coverage of 60 hrs of the Indian Media has been a complete sham and a blot on the face of the country. The live coverage of 60 hrs, and the intervention if media in the proceedings of the army/ police operations was simply horrendous. How bad and hazardous the media intervention can prove to be for a case was quite clear in the Aarushi murder case already. But I think we failed to learn a lesson there. The same mistake has been repeated and the consequences are to be borne, not by any individual now, but by the whole country.
I just can't get the statement of our Navy Chief down my throat. He told that a police officer (not sure the exact rank or whether he was from Police or the Army) was suspended because he allowed a press reporter to hold his gun and fire a shot, due to presistent requests by the reporter. I wonder what a person, trying hard to concentrate on the terrorists, can do when someone is constantly bugging you for something. I think I would simply give the kid the candy and get over with it. So that I can continue to concentrate on what I was doing. But, I know an Army officer is not allowed to enjoy that freedom of choice.
In another of the horrifying facts I read about, the media was actually reporting how many army soldiers were going inside the hotel to rescue the people struck there. They even reported the exact locations where the personnels were entering from. And guess what? The terrorists were watching all of this too. And they were well alert and prepared for the welcoming of the surprise attackers.
Wow! Amazing!
Loophole 2: National Security
Mumbai has been the centre of attraction for everyone and everything that relates to India. It's the business capital of our country and has been at the eye of the storm many a times in the Indian history. Still, it remains the most vulnerable and ill-secured state till date. Whether it's about national security or internal state's security, Mumbai is at the mercy of the attackers. Anybody who wants can keep a bomb at the major most station of the state. Anyone can enter the city with an AK-47, RDX, or any other weapons. Maybe even a Tank in the future, if things continue to be the way they are. Nobody seems to notice and nobody seems to care! Is there nothing like National Security? What is RAW doing? Does the national security come into picture only when there's a breeching of national borders? Isn't inter- and intra- state security a part of the national security? Any Raj Thackeray can speak anything and there are riots in the state. Why are we taxpayers wasting so much money on the Defence, when there's nothing like Defence and Security? It's our hard-earned money and we have full right to know where you are wasting my money. Despite spending crores of money on Defence and the Army, I am still feeling so "on-the-road", I still don't feel secure! Is that money only to watch 60-hrs of drama on Television? Or, is that money going in to watch the fish market, bull-fighting of Politicians?!!
Loophole 3: Politics
At the end of the plethora of the drama, what are the after effects? One Anti Terrorism Act is updated and some more clauses are added to bring the terrorists to book. Our respected Foreign Affairs Minister is shouting at Pakistan but Pakistan is not even listening, and acting like an innocent. Pakistan's enjoying th support of U.S and the sympathy of the West Asian countries, comfortably saying "Terrorism has no religion." Ya, terrorism has no religion but it definitely has a region defined for it to breed in!
Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh resigned taking responsibility of the failure of security in his state. BJP has left no stone unturned to show what a big cartoon he was, or how irresponsible he was.
Is this the time for all this? Is it nothing more than one more point added to your list of election bootis? I want to know what BJP would have done if it was in power? I sometimes suspect BJP's hand behind all of this happening, in Congress's rule! I know a weird and silly thought. But, yes, I don't hear anything more than re-instating POTA from the BJP clan to create my faith in them. And, what they did with POTA is also not hidden from anyone.
This is the time to find out effective measures of improving the internal system of the country. Our country is growing at a very fast pace and it's economy is blooming. It's time to strengthen our roots, to take into account probable situations and make necessary laws. When you start something new, you take into account the expected pitfalls and remain prepared for it in advance. This incidence is clear indication that we are not prepared...whether for the terrorists or for the economic growth/recession.
It's not the time to curse or fire individuals and put the blame on someone, because it's not just one person's failure. It's not a person's or a government's failure! It's the failure of every politician living and purportedly serving the country. It's the failure of every citizen living in this country.
It's the repsonsisibility of every citizen to stay cautious of his/her surroundings and work like civilian- police. It's the least we can do and just this much of an effort from our side will make a lot of difference.
I remember a famous scene from the movie "300". The King of Sparta is meeting the King of another territory, with their respective armies. The King of Sparta asks the army men of the other King's, "What do you do?" Everyone responmds with his respective occupation - blacksmith, barber, cobbler etc. Then, he turns to his men and asks them, "What is your occupation?" They all respond in one echo " We are Spartans and we serve Sparta." It's time to be like Spartans. It's time for us to become the Shahrukh Khan's Chak De's team, where every one belongs to just one region, one religion, one state - "INDIA"
It's time to be Indian.
9 comments:
oo...its a loooong post......a lot of good things have been said here....i wont comment on those...but there is just one thing i feel would definitely help find cool solutions for terrorist things....i think UN security council sucks pretty much ....there should be an international court of justice for terror related operations...all nations that capture terrorists should fight in the court of law not in their individual nations....and if some state like pak in this case is found guilty...it should be pressurised economically as well as politically to take real actions like capturing all the wanted terrorists and handing them over to that one international court ....cases should be run on them their only and if proved convict they should be punished....now what happens is...india gets attacked...makes ue and cry that pak did all this....america comes out and shouts on pak...for some time...pak says ok ok guys i will do things i can but only under my law...and wont hand over anybody to anyone...and this action pretty much sucks...no convict will get punished this way ever....everyone will forget it and again the same thing will happen...
A great thought Siddhartha. I really think that was a very nice idea. Although, I don't know how successful it will be because even U.N was set up for the same purpose. So that the nations can be brought to the dock and not be allowed to affect humans at large, just like that. But, as always, even there politics runs. There also is a hierarchy which is being followed and the people are not free from prejudices. So, I think we need to find out ways to make the laws of U.N. as prejudice-free as possible.
yess....i also think UN was established for the same very purpose...may be not only this purpose but few others as well....and as rightly pointed out by you politics happened and the things are not the way they should have been....may be there is no need to create any new organisation but something needs to be done seriously...terrorism affects every nation... but some nations get affected more than others....its time every nation came together for the eradication of this evil......within a nation to improve security, a hell lot of other things can be done...only thing that is required is the will to act......
hey.. kool pic ;)
You know you are right that something needs to be done, and almost everyone will agree to this. But, the problem is that no one knows "What is to be done?"
I know that what we want is that all the nations should be honest and should abide fairly by the laws of U.N etc. But, the problem is that the complete system is so biased and ruled by a few nations, that no one cares about it now.
So, what can be done now is that rather than hoping for any change on the global level, do something on the national level, AND individual level. We know that the situation is bad even at nation's level in our country, so rather than expecting the Govt or the politicians to do anything, it's time to take the baton in our own hands and help in every possible way. To begin with, we all should stay as cautious as possible of suspicious people. And, look out for more and more ways to stop this terrorism right here. We have had enough! It's time to stop speaking and start doing something. time for some Action!
yup indeed...but i dont get it completely....its right we should be aware of our surroundings but lets put a situation...the kind of traffic there is in markets....anybody can come and throw a packet wrapped in any cothing or whateva...and all u can do if u r aware is run and make others aware that there is something...but the destrcution would still be there....but ya its good @ an individual level to try out whateva can be done...
A very valid thought....but that is what has to be done. I know it's pretty rare to observe anything in a milieu of traffic. But, if you DO see something which arouses suspicion, then rather than feeling awkward or keeping the dont-care attitude, now, taking the situation that is, we should immediately report it to the Police.
If you haev noticed, then you would find that almost all the bombings that took place happened in Market area. So, that shows how much hazard our don't bother attitude is doing.
It's often that we feel suspicion but we feel odd in calling the PCR or the police to check up. Now, this habit is costing too many lives and we must change that.
I meant "suspicious" rather than "suspicion"....sry, gramatical error. :)
yes...u r only human :)..errors are natural:)
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