Terrorists struck innocent people with a deadly blast outside Delhi High Court. And once again we winnessed the usual routine reaction. Our Home Minister promised to track the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The Prime Minister said, all of us should fight unitedly against terror. Intelligence failed as usual. The police prepared sketches on the basis of information from eyewitnesses asking public to find the culprits. NIA was asked to set up a team to investigate. Delhi and Mumbai was put on high alert. Haven't we heard all this before?For how long should we tolerate this?
Just three months ago was a blast at the same Delhi High Court .It was a low intensity blast and a few people were injured. The Home Minister had then promised to beef up security at the High Court, but till date no CCTV cameras were installed at the spot where the blast took place. Chidambaram now says, the Centre had sanctioned the money. The question arises : who is after all responsible for CCTV cameras not being installed at the gates where hundreds of people flock everyday to take their entry passes for the High Court? The metal detector through which people daily pass through was not working, the body scanner was defunct. Was it not an open invitation to terrorists : 'Come, carry out your blast, kill innocent people, the government is sleeping".
Statements that are made after each major blast have become so routine and perfunctory that people have stopped believing in them. When the government says, it will tackle terror, people believe they should wait for the next blast. When the government says, it has issued a nationwide red alert, people ask why was this alert not issued before the deaths of innocent persons. When the government says, we will hunt out the terrorists, it actually means it will take so much time that people will forget the blast ever occured.
After every major terror strike, sketches of suspects are released. The sketches look like those of aliens and no one on this planet can find anyone looking like that. After every blast, the blame is put on a Harkatul Jehadi Islami outfit or a Deccan Mujahideen group. A few days later, a report will come saying that the commander of the group that carried out the blast has been killed.
For how long should we tolerate this? For how long will crores of public money be wasted on failed intelligence and dysfunctional equipments? For how long should we wait for another inquiry committee report? I do agree that no government, or police, or intelligence agency can fight terror alone. It is also true that security cannot be provided to each and every citizen in a big country like ours. But the question arises, what has the government done to involve common people in its fight against terror?
What has the government done except putting out ads asking people to be on alert against terror? The fact is: the people of this country are fed up of terrorism. They are angry watching the dead bodies and disfigured and tattered limbs of their own brethren. They want to help the security agencies in their fight against terror, but there has been no major change in the governemnt's style in tackling terror. I remember, when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister, one Karamvir Singh fired pellets at him at Rajghat from a bush. Since that very day, the regular drill is: remove all bushes that come in the Prime Minister's route.
When terrorists launched their assault on Parliament House, the government responded by installing so many barricades, cameras, wires and alarms, that the edifice can hardly be called a Parliament House. When terrorists struck Taj and Oberoi hotels in Mumbai, the government responded by ensuring that each car and vehicle that enter any five-star hotel, must get their bonnet and boot checked for explosives. I can cite many such instances of foolhardiness in the name of security. We can even toelrate such foolish drills in the belief that those who are supposed to be experts in their field must have surely decided this on merits and one should not doubt their expertise.
But every time that terror strikes, we find that the security agencies are as helpless as the common citizens. After every strike, when these terrorists strike a new target using old methods, we begin to believe that these so-called experts getting fancy remunerations are as ignorant as the aam aadmi. The experts on whose training, equipments, strength and firearms crores of rupees can't be allowed to continue like this. Political leadership can't get away by just making routine statements. I get a feeling that common man is not ready to take it anymore. Before the anger erupts we must convince the common man that the government is sincere to fight terror. We need to evolve a security culture. And this can only be done by involving public. Public is ready. Now it is for the government to wake up.
Top News
Latest News
