Terrorism in India

Yesterday evening, Varanasi was rocked by multiple bomb blasts, one at a temple, two more at railway stations. Another terrorist act made easier by the lax security provided by the authority. The government is to blame too. After such an incident happens, it does not waste a second in criticizing the act and doing ‘ninda’. Furthermore it will announce some compensation to the kin of the affected. But is this the right way? Shouldn’t the government and the police ensure that these things do not happen in the first place? America after 9/11 sealed its borders tight, and increased its internal security to a level which ensures that such attacks do not take place in the future. Does India need its own 9/11 to wake itself up from its slumber? Even if such a bold attack would taken place on India, I think the government would hardly do anything than doling out money to the affected. I am not saying that compensation should not be given. But ask the family of those injured or killed by such bomb blasts, and they would infinitely prefer having their family members close to them to having one lakh rupees.

The fact that terrorists are able to target places of worship, education institutions (IISc, Bangalore) shows how big a gap we have in the internal security of the country, and how complacent the authorities are. The adage, “Prevention is better than cure” applies more to our countrymens’ psyche than to anything else.

The point is that the government should put its reserve police force into continuous protection of such public places, so that such instances can be prevented in the first place. These days, we do see a couple of policemen patrolling in each of the long-distance trains, but that is not enough. There should be proactive checking at railway stations. On our part, we should stop grumbling and understand that such security checks are for our own good.

India is ‘shining’ in so many sectors. Don’t her people now deserve some security and safety in their own cities and neighbouroods? Don’t the people deserve a surety from the government that they or their loved ones won’t be suddenly blown apart in their own land? Don’t the people of India need the confidence to go to work in the morning and come back to their homes safely in the night? The government should take a leaf out of America’s Dept of Homeland Security - which was set up after the 9/11 attacks - and have a similar setup which is responsible for proactively maintaining peace within the country. Even the CBI or any centrally located investigative agency can take the responsibility by dedicating a branch for this.

Luckily, the people still haven’t lost their cool over these attacks. But this doesn’t mean that the government can take it easy. It is time that the heads of the country take a step further from offering condolences to the family of the bereaved and doing kadi ninda of such incidents. If the government wants India wants to become one of the top nations of the world, it is time that the average citizen receives protection from such terrorist attacks and a promise that within India’s borders, her citizens are safe.