26/11: Nothing Much has Changed

A year after the 26/11 attacks in the country’s financial capital, Mumbai, the arrest of David Headley by the FBI and the subsequent revelations of likely terror attacks clearly highlight the vulnerability of the country to terror threats. It also seems that India has not learnt any lesson from the terror strikes of the past, be it the government authorities, the police and the security machinery, or the common citizenry.

Every time terror strikes a city, security is beefed up, inquiries are ordered, commissions are set up, compensation packages are announced, and of course an extensive media coverage is given. But after some time life becomes all the same again for everybody, leaving aside the victims’ relatives.

The country has witnessed a series of terror attacks in various cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Bangalore in the last five to six years, with the casualties mounting to a chilling figure. But even after all these years the country finds itself in the same vulnerability zone as it was a few years back.

The advancement in technology seems to have benefited only the perpetrators of terror, with our security and intelligence agencies lagging far too behind. The scenario becomes more ugly when political parties, taking advantage of the situation, indulge in blame game — at times when they need to come together to curb the increasing menace of terrorism. The role of common citizenry here is also under scrutiny as a vigilant citizenry could have contributed differently in terms of the terror vulnerability, be it in its role of electing political representatives or keeping a strict vigil on its leaders.

It is high time now that the authorities concerned and the lawmakers woke up to the reality and took stringent measures to minimize the terror threat perception in the minds of the people. The ongoing Prime Minister’s visit to the US holds great importance in this regard as India can really learn a lot from the US experience and its counter-terrorism strategies in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

The need of the hour, thus, is that we should forget the unproductive and misdirected blame game, and unite to bring peace into our lives to live terror-free.

Dhiraj Jain,

Lakhipur Road, Silchar. THE SENTINEL