Author: Joginder Singh
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: August 11, 2008
Terrorists have struck again -- this time
in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Surat -- sending a reminder that they can strike
at will at any place at any time. They have used integrated circuits, timers
and chips for the first time in their attacks, revealing that those behind
the mayhem are highly educated and technology-savvy.
Another new factor is the use of gas cylinders
placed with the bombs that killed 26 persons at the emergency ward of the
Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. A similar technique was used last year at Glasgow
airport when Indian engineer Kafeel Ahmed, indoctrinated by Al Qaeda, and
his accomplice rammed a jeep laden with explosives and gas cylinders into
the terminal's wall. The use of integrated circuit chips and gas cylinders
has confirmed the suspicion of intelligence agencies that the attacks, though
planned and executed by local outfits, have been inspired by an organised,
technically-oriented mastermind
The Union Government claims that State Governments
were advised to take preventive measures about the likelihood of such terrorist
attacks. Unfortunately, all such advisories are only general sermons which
anybody without even being in the intelligence set-up can envisage. No specific
or actionable intelligence has been provided.
The first salvo was fired by a non-Congress
Cabinet Minister after the Union Cabinet Meeting that followed the blast.
The Minister was so perturbed that he did not even care for conventional niceties.
Another Minister told mediapersons, "I think there is more information
in newspapers than what the Home Minister told us (in the Cabinet meeting)."
The political response of the country determines
its response to militancy. The only person to come out against terrorism and
advocate a bullet-for-bullet policy, apart from Mr LK Advani, is Jammu &
Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. He has said, "How can you initiate
talks with terrorists who after attaining training from across the border
come to kill you? Either you have to kill them otherwise you will be killed...
We may have talks with the neighbouring country, but as far as terrorism goes,
there can be no tolerance towards terrorists and they should be dealt with
a stern hand."
Unfortunately, whenever a terror incident
happens, you can anticipate the standard response and even the language of
the leaders. They use the same tone and tenor like "It is a cowardly
act" and that "innocents have been targeted" and "very
strict action will be taken against the perpetrators". But the ground
reality is that such statements and announcements of compensation by the Government
to salve its own conscience and to pay for its failure have become a routine
affair till the next terrorist attack.
But the sufferer of all such terror attacks
is the common man as the leaders are safe with their huge paraphernalia of
security. Steps to improve the situation need to be taken -- at legal, diplomatic
and people's level.
At all the sensitive places close-circuit
television cameras should be installed. New York has more than 50,000 such
cameras. Incidentally, perpetrators of the London bombings in 2005 were nabbed
with the help of CCTV recordings. These cameras, apart from keeping a record
of suspicious activities of likely terrorists, can also help in detecting
incidents of traffic violation, eve-teasing and other crimes like pick-pocketing,
chain-snatching and rash driving.
The Union 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.
Tech-savvy terrorists need to be met on their own turf.
The Government is giving an impression of
being soft on terrorists. All over the world, including in the oldest democracies,
laws have been turned upside down to deal with terrorists. But in India, we
still have laws framed by the British on the ground that the old laws are
sufficient. It is time to bring in new laws on terrorism, thus putting the
onus on suspected terrorists to prove their innocence. Every arrested terrorist
must be subjected to narco-analysis test to find out his other colleagues
and associates involved in the crime. Political parties naturally play politics
in every thing they do. It is for this reason that a MCOCA-type law, which
is in force in Maharashtra, has not been allowed in Gujarat, Rajasthan and
Himachal Pradesh.
It is imperative that national security should
be kept outside the ambit of politics and terrorism should be treated as a
national threat and not an excuse for vote-bank politics. We have been hearing
for a long time about the need to have a Federal Investigating Agency to investigate
crimes like terrorism. The Centre-State conflict over the proposed agency
seems specious: If the US can have the FBI despite a full-fledged federal
system in which States have far greater autonomy than they do in India, why
cannot we have a similar agency?
In fact, the top priority of the FBI is to
"protect the US from any terrorist attack". There is simply no such
agency in India mandated to take on terrorists at the national level. The
CBI, which is primarily meant to deal with corruption, comes in if and when
a State refers a case of terrorism to it.
The Union Government can issue an Ordinance
creating a federal agency which will function in the States with their consent.
In today's situation, there is hardly any State which will not give its consent.
The Centre should strike while the iron is hot.
It must be clearly understood that in a country
of our size and population it is almost impossible to reach consensus on any
issue. But it is the job of the leaders to lead the country and show the will
in the national interest.
