INDIA AT WAR

WAR: Quarrel usually between nations conducted by force, state of open hostility and suspension of ordinary international law prevalent during such quarrel, attacks or series of attacks by armed forces; fighting as profession.

Writing contemporary history is one of the most hazardous academic professions, for chronicling events and analysing them is a tricky subject because of the inherent bias which creeps into writings. Furthermore, the turn of events and new evidences can make you look like a fool. But these are extraordinary times and since extraordinary situations call for extraordinary reactions, the common man has to speak out and stand up for his nation, values, culture and most importantly for the future generations, I offer my head for the chopping block. I do not wish my children to grow up under the shadow of guns and grenades instead giggles and gardens. Let the child know about Gandhi before he learns about Genghis Khan.

India is at war. The war is not between nations or religions but between an idelogy which professes pluralism and secularism against one which professe mindless violence, killing of innocents and vandalising. India is above religion, here Sufis existed with saints, here Tulsi, Nanak coexisted with Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.

" Yeh ek nirlajja hamla hai" (This is a shameless attack), So spake the minister of state for Home affairs, Sriprakash Jaiswal in his reaction to the attack in Mumbai on 11/26 and continuing till the time of writing, as if to assert something which the common individual did not know. 'Niralaajata' (shamelessness) Mr. Minister!! Being the minister of state for Home and thereby responsible for the safety and security of the citizens, and with your shameless record of non performance on this front, you have the gall to call these terrorists shameless. Let me remind you sir, that you are a public servant and earn your salary from the taxes a common man like me and lakhs of others pay. At least the intentions of these terrorists are clear (and have been clear for decades), they want a decimation of this nation, its culture and in general everything it stand for and embodies. The 'shame' should be on you and your government for the ineptitude and callousness it has shown.

The country is in a state of shock and awe and all you can say is that the terrorists are shameless! What were you expecting Honourable Sir? Jalebis and Rossogollas??

The Prime Minister goes a step further and warns "neighbouring countries who support terrorists of consequences", without daring to name the countries and informing them of the consequences. When a country needed a man to stand up and say that the 'nation was at war, and we will win the war come what may", all we got was a timid Prime Minister evidently reading from a tele prompter and mouthing platitudes like “We will take a number of measures to strengthen the hands of our police and intelligence authorities. We will curb the flow of funds to suspect organisations. We will restrict the entry of suspects into the country. We will go after these individuals and organisations and make sure that every perpetrator, organiser and supporter of terror, whatever his affiliation or religion may be, pays a heavy price for these cowardly and horrific acts against our people,”

Kindly note the preponderance of the word "WILL'. Excuse me , Mr. P.M are we to assume that your government has been waiting for a carnage like this to happen and now you WILL do this and do that. Were the mindless loss of life for the past innumerable years not enough for the govt. to act as you now say you WILL? Who my respected sir, is responsible for the loss of life, destruction of numerous families, loss of property and most of all projecting India that is Bharat, as a soft target for anybody looking for a passage to jannat(heaven, for that is what these jihadis are brainwashed into believing) . Why can this country not ensure a quick getaway to Dozakh (hell) for these terrorists ?? Why can we not accept that Saudi Arabia with its oil money, more than Pakistan, is sponsoring these terrorists and their fundamentalist interpretation of Wahabism, in order to keep their focus away from the issue of control over the holy sites of Mecca and Medina ?

The P.M is also again mouthing ideas like a Federal Intelligence Agency and stuff. It would have been a good joke if lives were not involved. The govt. mouths the same ideas which it knows it is not going to implement, everytime the terrorists create mayhem and a few days later goes back to sleep. Nero was a King of Kings compared to the worthies we have. Atleast he played flute while Rome burnt, whereas our P.M looks in askance for permission to play flute from we all know who! Come on Sir, at least stand up against this menace . The country is behind you whole heartedly, provided you stand up and be counted.

The seriousness with which the govt. has faced terrorism can be judged from the fact that Terrorism was not even on the agenda when the National Integration Council met a couple of months back. This was subsequent to the horror of Ahemdabad and New Delhi. The meeting was ostensibly called to 'discuss' the internal strife between two groups of tribes in Orissa. Apparently the Vatican was displeased with the events in Orissa and therefore the meeting of NIC. The issue of Terrorism was added subsequent to loud protests from the C.M's of the other hue. Is this how we are supposed to face terror?

The entire city of Mumbai in particular and the country in general are being held to ransom by an unknown number of fidayeens, with the common people looking on in horror. The streets throughout the country are quiter than usual without anybody knowing where the next attack is going to come from.It is as if doomsday or Apocalypse has arrived. This is India's 9/11. This is a frontal assault on everything the nation stands for. India is scared, India where Swami Vivekanand said, " Have No Fear, Fear is death, Fear is Sin, Fear is Hell, Fear is Unrighteousness, Fear is Wrong Life." But let us face it, we are scared. Sample the reaction of the cine star Amitabh Bachchan who expressed his fear in his blog, "Last night, as the events of the terror attack unfolded in front of me I did something for the first time and one that I had hoped never ever to be in a situation to do. Before retiring for the night, I pulled out my licensed .32 revolver, loaded it and put it under my pillow. For a very disturbed sleep," Imagine if a man who lives under high security feels like this .........

That the entire machinery was caught offguard can be gauged from the approach of the ATS from the video shots of the late Hemant Karkare and his team. The brave officer is seen to approach the battle ground with his entire team following him as if they are confronting poor farmers sitting on a dharna, rather than a trained bunch of motivated fighters who have undergone commando training. The result is that some of the bravest of the officers have lost their lives whereas a bit of planning would have helped them fight a larger battle for the sake of the nation. Regardless of the brave fight put up, the ATS does have some explanation to do regarding the manner in which these terrorist sneaked in and have created mayhem. And please do not accept the theory of targetting foreigners, western interests and entering the city through small boats. The simple fact is that India has been attacked, once again.

These people would have been in the city for months together making reconissance of the taregetted places. An attack of this magnitude is beyond the capacity of people merely entering the city with rucksacks and letting go. Do not be surprised if these guys were staying in the same plush hotels as guests beforehand, who were merely joined in by attackers from the front gate. The method in which these guys are holding out rubbishes the simple story being played out. Can we have some truth after the crisis is over?

Or is it!!!!

The methodology of hostage taking is the pinnacle of terrorist achievements for besides from using them as human shields, these unfortunate hostages can be used as bargaining chips for deriving maximum leverage (remember Kandahar) and last but not the least, it gets them unlimited media coverage. Media is like the lifeline for any terrorist group in order to propagate their message and instil fear among the populace.

FEAR... we keep coming back to the operative word in any act of terror. Saturated coverage (watch BBC if you do not believe this) by the media of the free world ensures you publicity which no Al Qaida site would do in a life time.

With the risk of being labelled a conspiracy theorist, I perceive this act as a mere dress rehersal for something BIG. Remember the hostage taking in Jammu a few months back and now this. It appears that the terrorists are graduating to a higher level with each experience. I would appeal to our security agencies and the intelligence guys to include this input while analysing the incidence after it is done and over with. Please remember Beslan in Russia where Chechen terrorists took around 400 school students as hostage. The very thought is terrifying, but this in-your-face terrorism has to be confronted.....and defeated.

The nation has reposed faith in its politicians time and again and have been rewarded with this. The politician-bureaucrat- criminal nexus needs to be broken in order to confront this evil. Have we ever given thought to the fact that these terrorists are using the conduits of local criminals who might be sitting abroad but have their kingdoms intact ( does the name of Dawood ring a bell) , to ferry in their arms, ammunition and personnel. These networks ensure safe houses, local intelligence, local personnel for these terrorists. It is an open secret that these criminals are used by politicians to launder their dirty money, win elections in bargain of safety of their illegal business. The bureaucrats as the legendary Shikhandi provide cover to this dirty nexus in exchange of plum 'postings', 'transfer of the irritants (Read the limited honest officers), easy money and stuff. It appears that the nation and its citizens is the least of their concerns. This unholy triumvirate has to be broken, and broken fast.

India has been at the receiving end of these terror attacks for decades now and it is an amazing fact that this country has no special anti terror law . The govt. is pleased as a punch when it states that the existing laws like the National Security Act is enough to confront this scourge . The POTA was scrapped because it was ostensibly against a particular religion. The argument was that even the existence of POTA did not prevent the Akshardham or the Parliament attack. The argument leads one to draw an analogy and ask questions like Dowry deaths inspite of an equally ‘draconian’ anti dowry act (Sec. 498 of IPC), and murders inspite of section 302. Do we mean to say that these laws should be scrapped because of events to the contrary. As to the argument of POTA being used against a particular community based on the statistical evidence of the number of people arrested under it, will please any politician point out the identity of the persons committing these terror acts ? I once again assert my previous statements that terrorism has no religion, so please…please treat a terrorist like a terrorist, not a Hindu or Muslim or Sikh terrorist. Laws do not prevent crime but they ensure punishment for a crime thereby deterring future wannabes. Law is one of the arms to fight a terrorist and let us not fight this modern day asura with one of our arms chopped off. Besides let the judiciary decide on the applicability of the law in each and every case. No law is above judicial scrutiny, is it ?

One of the essential arms in fighting this terror i.e. the Police needs immediate reform. All of us saw the visuals of the brave guys of the ATS enter the battle zone with their outdated bullet proof vests while confronted with an enemy who is trained like an army commando and much more motivated. The ATS or any such force needs special equipments along with special training. The SWAT in the U.S.A is a special police force which tackles such exigencies. I wonder whether the ATS guys are trained on a regular basis judging by their work in the past one month, wherein they had been dragged unnecessarily into a political event. The investigation should be the part of a specialized team and the operations part should be left to the other experts. You cannot have officers like Hemant Karkare ,Vijay Salaskar and Asohk Amte both investigating as well as executing cases. Unfortunately we will not be having them anymore, but will we learn from our mistakes ? We better do, for these brave, nay very brave officers looked like Abhimanyu getting into the Chakravyuha without knowing how to get out of it.

The reform has also to come from within the police officers who have to stand up and be counted . For too long they have played along with the politicians for petty gains but the chickens have come home to roost. Senior police officers are ssen more in high profile parties rather than on their rounds. In small cities and towns the situation is far worse for the senior police officer is like the Mai baap for the place. They will bow before the local politician who generally is a ruffian/criminal, but will thrash a poor man on the street mercilessly. The police officers need to look within.

Mumbai has been brought on its knees. Our soldiers are fighting a very brave battle but the damage has been done. The purpose has been served for the masters as well as the perpetrators. The shrill propaganda of these youngsters having eliminated three of the top anti terror officers as well as holding on against the Army, the MARCOS and the NSG will earn them more recruits. Not for them the reason that the forces are proceeding cautiously in order to minimise collateral damage. They do not prescribe to the Indian ideology of each life being important . They proscribe to the ideology of mindless violence and such propaganda is like a boon from the God.

My thoughts are with the people held hostage and the brave sons fighting to save them. My prayers are with them. May God give them courage.

But this nation will be doing a great disservice to the dead police officers and the common men and women who fell prey to these beasts, if we remain in the shock and awe in which we are right now in. The people have to get up and like Arjuna take the pledge after the death of Abhimanyu to avenge the death of these brave people. The govt. has to be forced to confront this demon. Remember the NATION IS AT WAR. The sooner we understand it, the better.

Like Swami Vivekananda said: “ The goal may be distant, but awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached.”

Let this message go down to the terrorists that this nation of Ashoka, Samudra Gupta, Akbar, Shivaji, Rana Pratap, Guru Gobind Singh, Bhagat Singh, Jhansi ki Rani will not be cowed down. We will fight for our culture, our spirit, our History and for everything that is INDIA.

Borrowing from Winston Churchill in the face of the advancing German war machinery before the battle of Britain :

“ We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Amen….

VANDE MATARAM

P.S : My condolences to the families of the brave officers who laid down their lives for the cause of the nation and to those killed in this act of mindless violence.