“Terror attack is a heinous crime, a crime against the humanity, we condemn terrorism, we vow to eliminate the phenomenon altogether, but it will take some time.” These are pet phrases we have been having after every terror attack and see the pledge-makers forget what was vowed the other day and find not done what was needed to do. It looks as if words have lost their meanings. After a bomb-in-suitcase blast in Delhi we again heard same phrases. We can only wish that this is the last time of such an exercise and words will be given their real meaning.
Same rhetoric with additional stories maligning Muslim names without an iota of reliable evidence is in the air after Wednesday, September 7, 2011 bomb blast near Delhi High Court killing at least 13 persons (till Friday, Sep 9) and injuring some 70 persons. With heavy heart we feel ourselves a part of helpless families who lost their dear ones. We also express our sympathies to those who got their lives derailed due to injuries, many of them with fractures, loss of limbs and hearing faculty are in the hospitals. The community should come forward to extend all possible comfort to the grief-stricken families.
This attack is more serious than previous ones for certain reasons. It is unfortunate that what was preventable by timely action could not be prevented due to procedural wrangles coupled with administration’s apathy to public security. Despite urgent need felt months ago, delays in taking decisions and implementing agreed measures tell a grim story of failure of the decision making system. Negative thinking prevails and officials hesitate to issue conclusive orders. Lack of desire to take responsibility and non-cooperation among various agencies provided opportunity for the plotters to execute the crime without being detected. A low intensity blast in the same area barely three months and a half ago, characterised by many as “warning attack” failed to sensitise the officials and they kept in pending the much needed steps of strengthening the security system in and around the court premises including Entry Pass Booths and parking area. Authorities were aware of the need to install CCTV cameras; they also held a meeting nearly every fortnight but not much was done as a result.
On May 25, a crude bomb outside the court had exploded. Fortunately, there was no casualty but it caused serious safety worries. On Wednesday when the blast happened, at least 150 police and paramilitary personnel were on duty, besides six Police Control Room vans positioned nearby. It is a well-known fact that our police personnel are always overworked hence tired. As Mr. P. Chidambaram said in Parliament, Delhi Police was alerted some time back of possible terror attack. Unfortunately the whole Delhi Police apparatus has been disturbed on account of Anna Movement. Their efficiency has also been blemished for considerations other than the demands of duty. So was on the fatal day when manual security system miserably failed resulting in loss of life. However it is not justified to put entire blame on Delhi Police which is understaffed and always stressed of VVIP Security requirements.
Secretary of the Delhi High Court Bar Association told media persons that after May incident officials of Delhi Police and civic agencies have had at least six meetings with High Court Judges but nothing concrete was done. Event alarm bail rung by UMHA did not help them to move.
Nearly three years ago the need was felt to install close-circuit TV cameras. The proposal was re-stressed after May blast but files did not move, stagnation continued and electronic eyes could not be installed in time to keep vigil on visitors. After Wednesday blast Delhi Police officials blamed the Public Works Department’s inefficiency. “We even reminded PWD they needed to float tenders. It remains a key problem area,” a senior police official said.
But PWD officials said the delay in procuring cameras was partly due to Delhi Police officials who suddenly changed purchase requirements this year. “After the May blasts, the police told us that 32 cameras, as mentioned in the original proposal, would not be enough and that we would now have to install 49. We had already floated tenders in March which had to be recalled,” a PWD official said. It is not understandable why tender was recalled and while additional tender was not floated? Answer is only that our bureaucracy is not sensitised to public safety. According to official sources, tenders floated again in June are pending in files and process of scrutiny will take “two to three weeks more.”
Police says it had sent details about camera requirements “long back”, however Bar Association officials said, “While several proposals were approved on paper, nothing much was implemented. The episode reminds us of the meaning of “Clerk-Raj”
The situation is grim. We need to revisit our bureaucratic system and mechanism of decision making. A model in the form of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation exists in India which has developed a culture of decision making on the spot by eliminating delaying tactics, moving files from one table to another and closing all windows of illegal money flow. The system is working successfully for the last 15 years under Dr. E. Sreedharan, the MD.
The investigation has been promptly handed over to NIA. Till this morning (Saturday, September 10) officially there is no firm indication about which group did it. As in the past, efforts are being made to derail the investigations through various emails and media reports based on imagination. Till now media houses and the Police have received four different emails. The first one was received after over two hours of the incident from a public cyber cafe of Kishtwar in Kashmir claiming the responsibility of the blast and demanding suspension of death sentence of Afzal Guru. On the face it is a farce call and a childish effort to express sympathy to the convict. There is no immediate cause of provocation for such a crime as Afzal’s mercy petition is still pending. The mail was purportedly sent by a dubious group, HuJI. The name cropped up when Khalida Zia was in power. Intelligence agencies of India, which have been more interested in implicating neighbouring countries more than arresting real culprits in terror attacks, stationed HuJI’s HQ in Bangladesh. However after regime change, new theories emerged and now illusive HuJI is said to be attached with Ilyas Kashmiri’s terror group.
The other mail is from another fluid group “IM” taking responsibility of the attack. NIA is yet to confirm whether the email was indeed from HuJI or IM, however these dimensionally diverse mails have provided food for anchors and debaters on TV channels to spew venom against a particular community. Media is abuzz with the stories of reported crimes of “Islamist” terror groups and a lawmaker of USA has demanded his Government to thrash Pakistan, one time strongest ally of America in “war against terror”. We can only hope the investigations will not go array and real culprits will be booked soon.
TIMING OF BOMBING
Timing of the bombing is crucial to keep the investigation in right direction. The attack was carried out at a time when our Prime Minister was away in Dhaka and a day after arrests of three BJP senior leaders in corruption charges which has badly damaged already nose-diving reputation of the BJP on account of corruption. The attack has saved saffron party from negative media reports. There is strong probability, as Union Home Minister observed, “The objective of terrorist groups was to strike fear and to destabilise the country.” We believe that there is a deep rooted ploy to weaken the UPA government doing a bit to arrest menace of corruption in high places and at the same time engaged in serious efforts to mend its relations with neighbouring countries by resolving all-out standing disputes. In the process six-decade old complex issues of marking of borders and that of enclaves in each other’s territories have been resolved.
The conciliatory efforts with Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries of the region are directed to convert the subcontinent into a dispute-free zone with blustering economic ties. Ultimate aim is to open a hassle-free trade and transport land corridor from Rangoon to Ankara. When materialised, this will entirely change geopolitics of Asia which is against the interests of several international powers including the arms supplier countries. Today India is the biggest client of Israeli arms. Once her disputes are resolved with China and Pakistan, she will not require such arms and ammunitions. This will also hamper the ploy to convert India into a “Brahmanist State” or “Hindu Rashtra” as envisaged by proponents of Hindutva.
Obviously the foreign powers behind Anna movement are most probably hand in glove with Sangh Parivar, trying to destabilise the region to advance their ideological and business interests. Their common grudge against Islam, Muslims and the Muslim world acts as cementing force. We hope, as UHM has assured the nation, that investigation shall remain open to these factors and will not run behind theories drafted in AC chambers of pro-Hindutva bureaucrats or supplied by foreign agencies.
[The writer is Gen Sec of Forum of Civil Rights; email: syyedagha@hotmail.com]