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26^th November 2008; Mumbai wakes up to yet another terrorist attacks, possibly the worst in recent years. It is of deep concern that Hotel Taj which is often portrayed as the Indian hotel industry’s and tourism’s prince had to face the enemy bullets tearing its superiority. Even though the hotel few weeks back had raised the security, in the wake of the Islamabad attacks. Here are the few bullets to brief you about the attacks.

· Around ten different places in Mumbai were attacked by a group of terrorists in the wee hours of 25^th November. Following were among the places attacked – Hotel Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Hotel Oberoi (Hotel Trident), Victoria Terminus, Marriott Hotel, Café Leopold.

· Around hundred people have been feared dead. Many foreign tourists were taken as hostages.

· ATS Chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar were killed in the exchange of firing between the terrorists and the officers.

· The police sieged the Taj premises and curfew has been imposed in the nearby regions of Oberoi and Taj Hotels. Schools, colleges and market have been shut down.

· The heritage part of the Taj built in the early 20^th century has been partially destroyed by the fire that broke out as the consequence of blasts and firing.

· An unknown group Deccan Mujahideen has claimed the responsibility of the attacks. According to various reports, around 16-20 terrorists in the mid twenties or early thirties planned the attack and used the water route to enter the Taj premises. Police claims to gun-down nine of the terrorists and is jointly operating with the NSG (national security guards), Black Commandos, Marine forces and army to combat the attackers.

Mumbai once again proved to be a soft and favourite target for the anti-social and anti-national elements which breed within our own soil. I can’t digest the theory of terrorists being imported to our country for the sake of attacking. If we see the modus operandi of attack, the terrorists used small raft kind of boats to reach the Taj Hotel, which is in the very vicinity of the Gateway of India. Any such attack cannot be carried out without the local help. There are some questions I would like the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Mr. Deshmukh to answer:

· Didn’t the police force have any idea about the attacks?

· How can a group of around 20 people just barge into the prominent ten places in Mumbai and carryout such organised attacks so easily?

· From where did these terrorists get these rafts?

· Gateway of India is one of the very prominent tourist attractions, why is the place so easily accessible to anyone?

· The attack on Victoria terminus or the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus only points to the fragile security setup. Your take on the same.

· How could the terrorist easily kill a few policemen and drive away with the police vehicles?

This attack is not just the test of the morale of the fearless Mumbaikars, but the test of the ever boastful intelligence and defence departments of India. Since, these raft like boats aren’t designed to travel long distances, I am almost certain that the terrorists have been living in the neighbourhood from quite sometime. The police force and the intelligence will have to own up to their failure to prevent the attack; not only this, but all those that shook Mumbai in the recent past.

ATS Chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar laid down their lives while trying to defend the prestige of their country. I fear whether they will also have to go through judicial enquiry to prove themselves as martyrs just like the Bathla encounter episode. This attitude of the politicians who try to take political mileage out of even the brave attempt of the few dedicated officers would just end up in demoralising the whole police force. I mean, why would I, as an officer, lay down my life, only to be faced with enquiry for traitor?

The mushrooming trend of small unknown terrorist groups is another point of concern; firstly it was the Indian Mujahideen, now it is Deccan Mujahideen (allegedly). Police may say since these terrorist groups have little or no trace of existence in past, in country with a population of over 100 Crores ,it is difficult to monitor the movements of each individual.

The attacks carried out on Mumbai were by a few youngsters in the age group of 24-35, which seriously points towards the failure of the government, both Centre and state, to develop a sense of security and better prospects for these young minds. The radicalism is not only injected to them through their personal experiences, but by the politicians as well, who time and again reinstate that the country hasn’t been fair to them.

The soft pedaling of terrorism in India by repealing POTA and unexplained rationale behind the delay in the execution of Afzal Guru will only strengthen the will of these terrorists who, be it in the name of Hinduism, Islam or be it any other religion, opt to such inhuman measures of retaliation and agitation. No denial that POTA was draconian, but it still worked. I wonder why we keep on feeding these terrorists with the exchequers.

Contributed By

Supreeth Sudhakaran

Editor and Member  – Chakraview

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