The Mumbai Carnage of 26th Nov 2008

How safe do you feel in a city which gets attacked by terrorists every year in events that take the lives of innocent people by hundreds? Mumbai seems to have become a favourite target of terrorists because of its huge population and popularity as the financial capital of India. It has always been labelled as the most lively and financially successful city in India, which bounces back from adversities almost instantly. But this time the sentiments of Mumbaikars are different. They are angry and want the administration to take some serious steps towards securing their lives in the city they deeply love. They refuse to forget the incident and just get on with their lives as usual.

Even for the people who have been watching this tragedy over the television, it is an unforgettable incident, feeling the helplessness to get in control of a dangerous situation for over 50 hours and to rescue all the hostages safely.

Even when the Mumbai police stays on highly alert all the time, terrorist attacks have been made yet again, and this time through the ports of Mumbai. Terrorists planned this attack on Mumbai very meticulously and chose a new inroad to the city through its waters. A fishing vessel from Pakistan was chosen as the entry vehicle this time. They came in this fishing vessel till a convenient point and from there on travelled in inflatable rubber boats to the shore of Mumbai. They had pre-planted people in Mumbai who had in advance arranged for arms and ammunitions, and the maps of the buildings that were to be attacked.

According to the sources, their actual plan was to attack the symbols of economic success of Mumbai, the Taj Hotel and the Oberoi Hotel, cause as much damage to life and property, and then escape unharmed by distracting the armed forces by planting bombs at nearby places. They had also planned to blow up the Taj Hotel by planting a huge amount of explosives there, but this plan was foiled by the quick and efficient response of the staff of the hotel and the armed staff. If this plan had been successful, it would have been all the more damaging to life and property. The other places that were targeted were the Nariman House and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. The latter being the bustling train station from which both local and long distance trains leave, and from where thousands of people commute everyday.

It is horrifying to even think about the scene at the places that were attacked. The terrorists had opened fire at everyone in sight. There were huge casualties in the banquet halls, hotel rooms, lobbies, restaurants, and even the kitchens of the hotels. It is difficult to imagine the scene at these places, dead bodies of the victims lying strewn all over the place, even in the hotel swimming pool, rotting for more than 50 hours before they were removed. It would have been such a horrifying experience for the NSG commandos who had to carry out the rescue operation at these places and then later the medical team who sanitised these places. The damage to life and property at these places is simply mind-numbing.

From the investigations that have been made so far, names that have come up for being responsible for this attack have links to Pakistan. Since this has been made certain, there is an air of bitterness for Pakistan in India. Ridiculously, some media channels even had a poll asking its viewers to vote through SMS and suggest if Pakistan should be attacked in response to this terror attack. They fail to understand that even discussing such things at such a sensitive time can be devastating.

Since this terror attack, we have seen three things happening. Firstly, people raising their voices over the current political condition in India. The inefficiency of our politicians, the overall state of law and order in our country, and corruption in general.

Secondly, the praise for the armed forces, the protest over their meagre remuneration, and the sad state of facilities and equipments given to them.

Lastly, the politicians trying to salvage their remaining pride by resigning at the drop of a hat, and people at important positions promising stringent action to be taken on the people responsible behind these attacks.

How far these promises will hold good is the question now. Since the casualties include people of different nationalities and from different walks of life, this attack has been condemned internationally. There have been innumerable meetings among the political circuits and various debates on media channel suggesting different actions that can be taken.

Since the terrorist caught from the Mumbai attack has confessed to be a citizen of Pakistan and trained in the terrorist camps there, even the USA has been strict with Pakistan to take some action. The Pakistan government on the other hand has been saying that it itself has been a victim of terror attacks in past and has not given shelter to any terrorist group. What it fails to promise is that it will take some action against the terrorist groups, ban them, and help in eliminating their training camps. The Pakistan government is helpless in front of various forces within its boundary which help in sheltering these terrorist groups. It is in no condition to take action against these forces or terrorist groups and promise some concrete solution. It seems that in near future Pakistan Government itself will fall prey to these internal forces and terrorism, and become a lawless state.

So what we now have to see is that after such hullabaloo over not forgetting this incident, learning something from it and taking stringent steps at conquering terrorism, what is actually done by both the governments of India and Pakistan. For how long are we successful at keeping our guards high before falling victim to another terrorist attack, this time probably through the air-route.