No Gossip, No Politics with Terrorism Please…

"26/11 terror strike in Mumbai drew international attention and the act was severely condemned by leaders of most countries. But in the land where it happened, the leaders tried to churn political benefits by blaming each other and fooling people. Leaders of every political party – from the self-claimed nationalists to the extreme regionalists – saw the issue of terrorism on their own political canvass and started a tug-of-war in the name of national security."

By Basudev Mahapatra

The 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai not only warned India how vulnerable it is to terrorism, but also it exposed the easy going attitude of India’s sleepy intelligence system that couldn’t smell possibility of such an attack even though it had received some inputs about it and was warned by foreign agencies well before. The attack brought to the notice of public how the loud anti-terrorist measures in the country are nothing but for the name shake and how, technically and skill wise, our anti-terrorist squads (ATS) are much behind to deal with the current trends and practices of terrorism world over.

Few terrorists landed up at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST) in Mumbai on November 26 evening with an intention to kill as much of people and cause as much of damage they could. Even though the security personnel present there traced them and tried to face them, they were not equipped enough to deal with the terrorists armed with sophisticated weapons and ammunitions.

On information of presence of some armed terrorists in the city, Mumbai ATS took over the operation but grossly failed in nabbing or killing the terrorists to give the city a quick breath of relief but lost some of its most effective members. The reason, as placed by our leaders and the senior police officials, was that the ATS jawans were less equipped than the terrorists. Soon the National Security Guard (NSG) Commandoes had to take over and gun down the terrorists who took three important establishments of Mumbai like Nariman House, Oberoi Hotel and Tajmahal Hotel Buildings. It’s not only the city of Mumbai, but the whole country felt terrorised for about 60 hours till the ‘operation black tornado’ (as the NSG chief termed the operation) was successfully accomplished.

The terror attack and the subsequent operation to free the establishments from the terrorists brought to public many systemic flaws in the defence system of India and political leaders’ urge to politicise such act of terrorism. When the whole nation was stunned with the terror attack in Mumbai, the political leaders seemed easy responding to the incident before media.

The attack made it clear that how ineffective our intelligence and internal security systems are in gathering information on such possibilities and getting control over the situation and the miscreants on such incidence. It was very unfortunate to see the union home minister Sree Prakash Jaiswal talking on TV that the government now realises the necessity of upgrading its defence force and the security agencies to face the challenges from terrorists of the present scale. When terrorism has become a global problem and, in the attacks on WTC and London railway, terrorists have shown how equipped and ruthless they could be, home ministers great realisation seemed to be a hard slap on the face of Indians who have placed these leaders on the chairs to rule.

26/11 terror strike in Mumbai drew international attention and the act was severely condemned by leaders of most countries. But in the land where it happened, the leaders tried to churn political benefits by blaming each other and fooling people. Leaders of every political party – from the self-claimed nationalists to the extreme regionalists – saw the issue of terrorism on their own political canvass and started a tug-of-war in the name of national security. No leader came out of the political and party limits and urged for strong measures and urgent action for combating terrorism. But everybody tried to fulfil its own interest in the recent incident of terrorism n the commercial capital of the country.

One party urged re-execution of POTA, where the other party tried to make afresh the issue of Marathi Manus – North Indian conflict in Mumbai and Maharastra. As elections are on the head, some leaders tried to bag the image of most accountable by politically guillotining few ministers at almost the end of their tenure. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil resigned from the cabinet making himself accountable for what happened in Mumbai. But Mr. Patil, where was your sense of accountability during serial blasts in Delhi and Rajasthan? Where was your sense of accountability during the violence against north Indians in Mumbai and Assam?
It seems, the resignation of union home minister is motivated by the possibility of sympathy in the coming general election more than his sense of true accountability to the nation and the society. However, Mr. Patil’s resignation became the true guillotine for Maharastra Chief Minister Bilash Rao Desmukh and His Deputy R. R. Patil who had to vacate their berths immediately against their will.

In only two days after the city was made free from terror, the situation turned into a political drama. People came forward to blame and scold the political leaders to be caught by TV camera.

Instead of disseminating the whole incident and operation in the form of pure information, the media, in toto, engaged itself in blaming the politicians, the system and even created further panic by explaining some hypothetical concepts of terror attack based upon apprehensions and unsupported or indirectly hinted by some sources.

The reports of WTC and London tube rail blasts aired on American and British Channels must be taken as examples here. Their media also reported the incidents live, but more ethically, more responsibly as the media of a nation. They would be equally allured by TRP, but not at the cost of ethics, the people and the nation. They never imposed a conclusive statement in any of their reports but just carried the views of the designated government official and authority of the investigating agencies. But our media made lots of conclusive statements from its own even though based upon information from certain sources. The Mumbai Terror strike dominated the TV screen for over double the time it continued, as no other news beyond it was as saleable as the live coverage from the site of terror.

Indian media could have taken a more responsible role by holding public reaction on the small screen and pressurising the government at the centre and the state come up with a strong law against any kind of terrorism in the country – be it by internal or external or supported by any external terrorist organisation.

Since 1990s till today, India has been the victim of most violent terrorist activities. Every time after an incident of terrorism, India shouts loudly. But it soon forgets the fury by putting the blames on the political leaders. This time also, the fury of terror strike has been diluted in a week. The focus shifted to selection of new CM and his deputy in Maharastrsa. Nobody, including the media and the political parties, is interested in establishing a strong law with provisions of exemplary punishment to those involved in any act of terrorism directly or indirectly. Even after decades of its fight against terrorism, the irony is that India doesn’t have a strong law for quick trial of cases of terrorism and punish the terrorists.

Apart from lingering process of trial, indefinite delay in punishment is also another reason that gives the terrorists a breath of relief. Like in case of the mastermind of Parliament attack Afzal Guru, the country is afraid of executing the punishment that has been sentenced by the Supreme Court since more than five years.

Acting as the media of the nation, Indian Press and Media must act responsibly and create public pressure for quick implementation of a stronger law that can help checking terrorism in the land and keep people and the land free from continuous terrorist attack.

And the political leaders must act as representatives of people than of their own parties. Instead of looking for a political dimension of everything, the leaders must cross their party lines in time such emergencies and work to ensure peace and safety to each and every citizens of the land.
When it is terrorism, people don’t want any gossip or politics from either media or leaders, but what they look for is acting fast and responsibly.

Bangladeshi Migrants

The situation in Assam, meanwhile, continues to be grim. There are around six million illegal Bangladeshis. The Gauhati HC had earlier this year said that “Bangladeshis had become kingmakers in Assam”, and stressed on the need for a “strong political will” to remedy the situation. Some 855 students had died in the Assam Agitation in the 1970s and ‘80s, a movement aimed at forcing the government to identify and deport illegals. The situation, however, shows no sign of improvement even after the SC scrapped the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983, a piece of legislation that was tailor-made to protect the illegal Bangladeshis in Assam.

Arunachal Pradesh, on the other hand, seems to gain immensely from the inner line permit provision that it has, being a sensitive border state, a provision that was often seen as an obstacle in the state’s development. Here too, however, the political will is striking compared to the scenario in Assam, which through full page advertisements declared that hundreds of alleged Bangladeshis, who had been pushed out of Arunachal and Nagaland a few months ago, were in reality Indian citizens, something that should have left to the judiciary to determine. “So far as our government is concerned,” said Tsering Gyurme, parliamentary secretary and principal adviser to Arunachal Pradesh CM Dorjee Khandu, ”the inner line permit does not allow even Indians to settle in our state. So there is no question of outsiders. We even insist on Arunachalis travelling out of the state to carry identity papers.” There is an increase in the number of illegal Bangladeshis now working in Itanagar. And what of the fact that the Tarun Gogoi government had declared that the suspected illegals pushed out of Arunachal were Indians? “That’s Gogoi’s problem,” Gyurme told TSI. All Bangladeshis who were working in Arunachal Pradesh had been identified and “could be shunted out anytime”, he added. “This is not like Assam where people can come in anytime, settle and get permanent resident certificates.”

The All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) had served a quit notice on alleged Bangladeshis in September this year. The students then physically removed a number of alleged illegals, which led to the All Minority Students’ Union in Assam blocking National Highway. While Arunachal home minister Jarbor Gamlin had at that stage said that there were around 8,000 illegal Bangladeshis in Arunachal, the state unit of the Congress had come out in support of the movement by Arunachali students. “We support any move to free the state of migrants,” Nabam Tuki, president of the state unit of the Congress had said at that point. Support for the innerline permit meanwhile only grows. He blamed the Border Security Force for letting in Bangladeshis. “No one goes from Assam to bring Bangladeshis into Assam,” he said, “the paramilitary forces simply let them in.”

And just how far are these governments willing to go to protect the rights of it heir people? One indicator would perhaps suffice: asked about the 1974 Indira-Mujib Pact, which has turned out to be a major impediment in so far as repatriation of Bangladeshi illegals from India is concerned, and which groups such as the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam demand that the government renegotiate with Bangladesh, Lyngdoh was clear of his government’s stand: “Our state laws do not permit even Indian citizens to buy land in our district councils. So the Indira-Mujib Pact will not work here,” he said....Continue

Student Sentenced to 15 Years for YouTube Terror Video

By David Kravets

An Egyptian engineering student was sentenced in the United States on Thursday to 15 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to uploading a 12-minute video to YouTube that demonstrated how to convert a remote-control toy car into a bomb detonator.

In June, Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 27, pleaded guilty in a Florida federal court to one count of providing material support to terrorists.

He was a student at the University of South Florida. South Carolina authorities said they found various bomb-making materials in the vehicle he was driving when he was pulled over last year.

The video, with his voice in Arabic, was discovered during a search of his laptop computer, the authorities said. In the video, which the authorities said was viewed by the public hundreds of times, shows how to make a remote-control toy car from Walmart into a bomb detonator.

In court documents, (.pdf) he said "he intended the technology demonstrated in his audio-video recording to be used against those who fight for the United States."

He said he considered them and their allies fighting in Arab countries to be "invaders." The United States, he said, was a "vile nation."

Blog wired

A look back at the Mumbai attacks

By Desmond Boylan


Four Reuters photographers covered the recent attacks in India. Here Arko Datta, Jayanta Shaw and Desmond Boylan (Chief Photographer, India) recall events.

Jayanta Shaw
My first experience of the Taj Mahal Hotel had been as a teenager on holiday with my parents in Mumbai. Those were fond memories. I would never have thought my second encounter with the Mumbai landmark would be so dramatic, tragic and scary.

Arko Datta
Just the previous night, I was at the Trident-Oberoi hotel, shooting pictures at the Gucci shop on the ground floor, next to the main entrance of this five-star hotel.
But since there had been no warning of an impending threat, the city continued to go about its daily chores.
Wednesday was a long day at office, and just as I got home and settled down, the first call came in, of a firing at Leopold café. Mumbai is no stranger to trouble or gang-wars and that’s what most of us in the media thought this was, especially as the area where Leopold café stands is known to witness shadowy activity as the night wears on.
But in an instant came the news of another shoot-out at Chhattrapati Shivaji railway station that most of us refer to as Victoria Terminus or just VT.
I sensed there was more to these shoot-outs and I needed to move, and try to get more information on the way. I told my colleague Punit Paranjpe to go on to VT while I headed for Leopold.
On the way I was getting a flurry of calls - with the stories only getting more bizarre - firing and blasts were being reported out of the Taj Mahal and Trident-Oberoi hotels as well.
Slowly it became clear Mumbai was seeing attacks and sieges at different locations. I decided to head for the Taj Mahal hotel first, with reports of gun shots and blasts still being heard from there.
Even as I took cover near the hotel, came further information of a blast near Nariman House and another as far as Vile Parle, close to the domestic airport.
I called Punit and told him to file his first pictures ASAP, and I decided to move. As I walked towards Leopold, I heard a blast behind me near the Taj Hotel. I ran back, only to dive for cover as there were more blasts which turned out to be grenade explosions. People were running in panic, and the darkness added more to the chaos.
There was occasional gun fire from inside the hotel building, but there was very little to photograph. This is when I heard of a fire raging at the Oberoi-Trident. I rushed there, only to be kept at a safe distance by the cops, like the rest of the media. Just then, we got more news of an explosion near a petrol station! A few of us photographers sped off on bikes, getting images of the post-blast debris - a mangled car and two-wheelers and cops on guard at the site.
After criss-crossing the streets of South Mumbai, chasing every bit of news that was coming my way, I was back outside the Taj Mahal hotel.
As I shot pictures of the hotel on fire, my thoughts were to get these to clients as soon as possible, while ensuring I stayed out of the line of fire.
I prepared for a long vigil outside the Taj. The first pictures of the fire had gone and I was trying to digest the reality unfolding before my eyes. The dramatic events would last another forty-one hours, testing our endurance.

JS:
Earlier on the Wednesday, I was Guwahati, in the Indian north-east state of Assam, preparing to cover the India vs England cricket match . By 10pm that evening I was outside the Taj Mahal hotel smelling gunpowder in the air, with gunfire all around. I was thrilled for a while. I positioned myself behind a police van watching the hotel in flames before my eyes. I started shooting with my 80-200mm lens and Canon camera. Taking 15-20 frames I stopped at around 11pm to file my first pictures to our pictures desk.
DB:
Flying from New Delhi, I landed at Mumbai’s international airport on Thursday morning to reinforce our coverage - 11 hours had passed since the first shots were fired. The normally bustling terminal was deserted, giving me a strange feeling that something was very wrong,
I persuaded a reluctant cab driver to take me to the scene. Normally a 2-hour journey, it took 40 minutes through the deserted streets. Throughout he drive we listened to the radio. There were three confirmed locations under siege - Nariman House, The Taj Mahal and Trident Oberoi hotels .
Arko and Punit were already on the ground, busy trying to cover all angles of the ongoing story while chasing stringers for additional images.

JS:
Friday morning Arko called and directed me to Nariman House, the Jewish centre in Mumbai. I arrived at the police barricade after a 2 km walk and found panic-stricken locals watching from the rooftops. It was like a war scene. The sounds of a helicopter startled me.
Commandos were firing at Nariman House from the helicopter. I moved to a rooftop to get a better shooting angle.
The roar of helicopters and exchange of gunfire made a scene reminiscent of a Hollywood blockbuster. Arko informed me rescued people were coming out of the Oberoi Trident hotel, so I ran there.
DB:
For the next few hours I walked around. I heard sporadic AK47 gunfire, and I could hear explosions coming from inside the Trident Oberoi, where hundreds of silent onlookers were gathered.
Hours later, I was still dragging my luggage through the streets and several people approached me asking if I was an escaped hotel hostage. Eventually, I managed to check in to my hotel on the Marine drive.
We established the hotel as a pictures-editing centre. Using its wireless network, we could operate several laptops simultaneously. We used it as a charging point for phones, laptops and camera batteries. It was adrenalin that kept us going.
At the Taj, where the rampage ended, the media behaved like the pigeons and seagulls that perched on the building itself, scattering after each volley of gunfire or explosion, only to return to their initial positions.

AD:
During the city siege, Mumbai was panic-stricken, with only a whiff of rumour enough to send people rushing for cover and closing their shutters.
The city’s famed spirit had worn thin, people were shaken. They were feeling vulnerable and exposed by the lack of security. Theaters and other haunts were quiet as residents digested the uncomfortable reality that terror had struck at the heart of the country’s financial capital.
DB:
We relied on our instincts backed up by solid information on the ground, knowing from the beginning it was impossible for the four of us to staff each siege location round the clock – each one had over five positions to be manned, some of them dangerous and where you could be stuck for hours, others quickly changing as security forces would push us back.  Uncertainty and worries of how long the rampage was going to last went through our minds.

We made sure our first priority was safety, we worked sometimes together at the same location, covering each other. Arko and Punit, our photographers in Mumbai, had done their homework — this was the key to our success, managing a solid local network of contacts in a moment of crisis. From the start, we had all angles covered, we had planned for such a situation.
It was just a matter of putting it all into place and remaining calm.

India Should Not Repeat American Mistakes

By Joseph D’Souza

Hyderabad, Dec 20 : After the Mumbai terrorist attacks, India must not commit the same mistakes as the United States in its war on terror. A pursuit of justice must treat people of all faiths with respect and, at the end of the day, encourage diversity.

India’s response to the brazen attacks on Mumbai which began on November 26, 2008, provides a great opportunity for addressing all forms of terrorism the country has experienced in the last few decades.

In the last year alone, bomb blasts were carried out by extremist Islamists, fundamentalist Hindus, and Maoist groups against the general population. In fact, over the last few years India is only second to Iraq in the death toll due to terrorist attacks as recorded by the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington, D.C. This doesn’t account for premeditated mob violence which has increasingly targeted minorities as seen in the ethnic cleansing of Dalit and Tribal Christians in the Orissa state in December 2007 and August 2008.

All these extremist groups threaten what is called “the idea of India,” which refers to a united nation made up of diverse religious and ethnic groups.

Simply put, we cannot afford to let any form of terrorism go unpunished. India cannot let the extremist Hindu groups who have displaced tens of thousands of Dalit Christians in Orissa escape justice.

The public anger after the Mumbai attacks is largely against those who have not governed India well in addition to the terrorists. India clearly needs to revamp its internal security structures. Indian politicians and the Indian government are searching for appropriate ways to respond to terrorists beyond India’s borders. And India is well within its rights to go after the non-state players who carried out the Mumbai attacks. India can hope for a united response with the U.S., Britain, Israel, and others whose citizens were killed in the attacks.

But India needs to work hard to undo the marginalization of Muslims in recent years by political parties who subscribe to fundamentalist Hindu ideology. India must firmly deal with ‘Hindutva’ terrorism (see recent articles in India Today and Tehelka magazine). India must build goodwill with the 150 million strong Muslim population whose leaders have condemned the Mumbai attacks. India must not target innocent Muslims inside or outside its borders for ill-devised political ends.

America’s mistake was to launch an indiscriminate war against Muslims who were not connected to 9/11. America’s decision makers didn’t take enough time to look at the contexts in which vulnerable Muslims are recruited to become terrorists. The American war on terror resulted in human rights abuses. It became associated with racial profiling. And thus, a just cause lost the goodwill of the world given in the aftermath of 9/11.

If the Indian government and political rulers repeat American mistakes, we will end up furthering more terrorism of every kind given the great religious and ethnic diversity of India. This is the time — when Indians feel as one and are united against terrorism — for the Indian government to act fairly and not take foolish actions. We hope citizens passionate about true justice from around the globe will encourage our leaders toward these goals in the days ahead.

* Joseph D’souza is the international president of the Dalit Freedom Network. He lives in Hyderabad, India and works out of Hyderabad, London, and Denver. 

India Asked To Respect Rights in Mumbai Probe

Condemning the attacks that killed at least 175 people in Mumbai, Human Rights Watch on Dec. 2 called upon the governments of India and Pakistan to cooperate in investigation to identify the perpetrators and planners of the attacks.

Beginning on November 25, 2008, at least 10 unidentified gunmen attacked two large hotels, a hospital, a Jewish center, a railway station, and other sites in Mumbai. The siege ended on November 28.

"No political cause can ever justify such horrific and wanton violence," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "After Mumbai, the Marriott bombing in Islamabad, bombings in Delhi in September, and the many other attacks against civilians in India and Pakistan, now is the time for the leaders of both countries to work together to address this scourge."

While it is unclear who organized the attacks, preliminary evidence suggests that Pakistan-based groups may have been involved. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that "elements" in Pakistan may have been responsible for the attacks, and his government has called on Islamabad to honor its commitment to prevent the use of its territory for acts of terror against India. Many commentators also suggest that attacks on this scale required assistance from within India.

Pakistan has denied any role in the attacks, but has said that it will investigate any evidence provided by India to determine if any group in Pakistan was responsible. The commitment to cooperate should also include the army and intelligence services.

"Indians and Pakistanis have repeatedly been victims of terror attacks," said Adams. "The two governments need to respond with cool heads to such atrocities, beginning with cooperation in the investigation and the prosecution of the perpetrators. Terrorism is a problem that needs to be addressed both within borders and regionally."

The attacks in Mumbai are the latest in a string of bombings and other violent attacks in India in 2008, in which hundreds of people have been killed. In October, bombings in Assam state, in northern India, claimed nearly 80 lives. That same month, 17 died in Manipur from bomb blasts. In September, a series of bombs in crowded markets in New Delhi left more 26 dead. In July, 57 died in bombings in Ahmedabad. In May, 68 people were killed in serial bombings in Jaipur.

In August 2007, 43 people were killed in two bombings in Hyderabad, at a popular restaurant and a public park. In February 2007, 66 people were killed by two firebombs on the "Samjhauta Express," the India-Pakistan friendship train. At Malegaon, Maharashtra, 40 people were killed in two blasts in September 2006. In July 2006, 209 people were killed by seven bombs on suburban trains and stations in Mumbai.

In 2001, India blamed Pakistan for an attack on the Indian Parliament building, which could have killed the country's top leadership. The two countries deployed troops to the border, and war was prevented only after international intervention.

Human Rights Watch called for the Indian government to take action to deter such attacks in the future. This would include measures to: better coordinate intelligence gathering, sharing and dissemination; end turf battles between the central government and state governments; provide better training and equipment to law enforcement officials; and work with and, where necessary, accept training and assistance from external law enforcement agencies with a more sophisticated approach to counterterrorism work.

After previous terror incidents there have been widespread allegations that Indian security forces have committed arbitrary arrests and torture. Muslims have often been targeted. Human Rights Watch called on the Indian government to use only lawful means to investigate the attacks and bring perpetrators to account.
"Given the criticism of the Indian counter-terror and intelligence agencies, police investigators are under a lot of pressure to find the masterminds and any accomplices to the Mumbai attacks," said Adams. "But they should not take the short-cut of torture or rounding up the usual suspects. This has failed in the past to solve crimes or prevent new attacks, and has only succeeded in alienating minority communities. It is critical that any detentions and prosecutions conform to India's constitution and international law."

Human Rights Watch also called on the Pakistan army and intelligence services to cooperate with the Indian investigation, wherever the evidence leads. There are concerns in India and elsewhere about the commitment of the Pakistani state to shut down militant groups who carry out terror attacks.

"Pakistan's foreign minister was right to say, ‘We are facing a common enemy,'" said Adams. "But on matters of national security policy, the army and intelligence services still call the shots in Pakistan and it's not clear if they will allow the government to shut down groups in Pakistan who may have been involved in the Mumbai attacks and other outrages."