Joginder Singh,
IPS (Retd.) Former Director CBI
THE DESI JIHAD
Joginder Singh,
IPS (Retd.) Former Director CBI
The terrorists have struck again, in Bangalore , Ahmedabad, and Surat , in July, 2008 sending a reminder that they can strike at will at any place in the country. They have used Integrated circuits, timers chips, gas cylinders placed with the bomb for the first time in their attacks, revealing that it is the highly educated and technology savvy terrorists' groups, who are behind this mayhem.
The Central Government claims that State Governments were advised to take preventive measures about the likelihood of such terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, all such advisories are only a sort of general sermons, which include all possible targets, which anybody, without even being in the Intelligence set up can envisage. No specific or actionable intelligence had been provided.
It is reported that in the Union Cabinet Meeting held, after the blast, the first salvo was fired by a non-Congress Cabinet Minister, who brought up the “issue of back-to-back serial bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad over the week end”. Another Minister confided to some reporters, “I think there is more information in the newspapers than what the Home Minister told us (in the Cabinet Meeting)”.
The following important terrorist attacks have left a deadly trail behind:
• Jaipur serial blasts ( May 13, 2008 ) : Sixty-nine killed, 100 injured.
• Attack on CRPF Group Centre at Rampur ( January 1, 2008 ): Seven CRPF personnel and a civilian killed, five injured.
• Ajmer blasts ( October 11, 2007 ): Three killed, 28 injured.
• Mecca Masjid blasts ( May 18, 2007 ), in Hyderabad : Ten killed, 50 injured.
• Samjhauta Express blasts (February 18/19, 2007): Sixty-seven killed, dozens injured.
Whatever quibbling may be done in apportioning the blame that the law and order is a State subject, there is no doubt that there has been and is a continuing major intelligence and counter-terrorism response of the Government.
The political response of the country determines its response to militancy. The only person to come against terrorism and advocating “bullet for bullet” approach to combat terrorism, is the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. He says, “How can you initiate talks with terrorists, who after attaining training from across the border, come to kill you? Either you have to kill him, otherwise you will be killed.” The terrorists group calling itself, Indian Mujahideen, has claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad and Surat serial blasts. It has also issued death threats to Bollywood's Muslim actors, Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Saif asking them to stop acting in movies immediately or “we are ready with an order to kill you”.
The targeting of Bangalore, the IT capital of the country, Ahmedabad, the emerging financial hub, next to Mumbai and Surat, the capital of India's diamond industry shows that the terrorists were clear in their mind about the targets, objectives and their strategies of crippling India, both economically and politically.
The sufferer in the end, is the common man, who has to bear the brunt of burden of such attacks, as leaders are safe with their huge paraphernalia of security. The steps to rectify the situation need to be taken at the legal, diplomatic and people's level.
At all sensitive places, either the Government or the Association of the Traders, and businessmen, or residents should get the CCTVs ( Close Circuit Television Cameras), installed which should record quietly, whatever is going on in any given market or place. New York has more than 50,000 such cameras. Incidentally perpetrators of London Bombing were nabbed with the help of CCTV Camera recordings. These cameras, apart from keeping a record of suspicious activities of likely terrorists, can also help in detecting the incidents of traffic violations, eve-teasing and other crimes like ickpocketing, chain-snatching and rash driving.
The Central Government should set up world class Forensic Science Laboratories in every State Capital, of which there is a woeful dearth, apart from pulling up Intelligence Agencies, for their failures. The technology expert terrorists need to be met at their own turf,
The Government is giving an impression of being soft on terrorists. All over the world, including the oldest democracies, laws have been turned upside down to deal with terrorism. But in India , we still have the laws given to us, by the British, in 1863, on the grounds that the old laws are sufficient. It is time to bring the new laws on terrorism, throwing the onus on the terrorists to prove that they were not involved. Every arrested terrorist must be got subjected to Narco Analysis test, to find out his colleagues and associates involved in the crime. Political parties naturally play politics in everything they do. It is now, more than over due, that the National Security should be kept outside the politics and terrorism should be treated as a National Threat and not an excuse for vote politics. We have been hearing for a long time about the need to have a National Federal Investigating Agency, to cover crimes like terrorism. The Centre-State conflict over the proposed federal agency seems all the more untenable considering that if USA can have an FBI despite a full-fledged federal system in which States have far greater autonomy than they do in India, why not India?
If the Central Government wishes, and has a will, it can have an ordinance issued, creating a Federal agency, which will function in the States, with their consent. In this climate, there is hardly any State, which will not give its consent. The Centre should strike to create such an agency, when the iron is hot. It must be clearly understood, that in a country of our size and population, it is almost impossible to get any consensus on any issue. But it is the job of the leaders to lead the country and show the will in the national interest. Our leaders must understand that they are leaders and not managers. Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.