Stop blaming the police for everything, stop being so casual about terrorists Terror is in the air and Mumbai, it seems, is becoming the Tora Bora of India, radiating fear and gore across the country’s cities.
As investigators pick up the pieces from 26/7 blasts in Ahmedabad, shards of evidence are leading them to Navi Mumbai. Yes, the sleepy satellite town, and YES, it should bother you. In an era in which terror storms international check posts, you should be gravely worried that evil is bubbling in your vicinity.
Now, there are plenty of people who will sneer that terror is a police subject. But I assure them that when they are caught in the crossfire, they will have no time to explain the minutiae to either the cops or to suicide bombers.
That is why I am going to advocate in this column a carefully thought out drive to involve citizens in the fight against terror. I want to issue an unambiguous disclaimer first: vigilantism is bad, futile, and dangerously foolish; what the city wants are ways to enhance vigilance and general awareness about the risks brought on by terror.
The last may seem a platitude but it bears unembarrassed repetition. And I will tell you why. In recent times, just after the terror strikes on Bangalore and Ahmedabad, most private establishments elevated their security. Some of these establishments survive because of high public traffic, hotels for example.
I saw for myself how blinkered their apprehensions about, and consequent approach to, terror were. The security set-up just outside the main entrance of a Sahar five-star had a metal detector, a sniffer dog, and a bag-check table. The private security folks were polite and well kitted out. The problem was that they were screening mostly Indian guests, and most firang suits were being saluted through! Now this is not a dirge about the undying colonial hangover, but a panicked appeal to all who live and work in Mumbai to realise that terrorists these days are not squat, dark, grimy third-world creatures. The changing demographic of terrorists is not even a novelty: Carlos the Jackal did not look like an urchin who moonlighted as a shoeshine.
Therefore, I urge all housing societies to work closely with the police to develop customised alerts for their localities. If some neighbourhoods attract dubious characters because of low rents, homeowners should work out a screening checklist with the police. The standard verification must of course remain in place, but the process is long, long enough for motivated terrorists to hit and run.
I can think of a few points in that checklist: one, call the workplace number provided by the potential tenant and insist on a weekly inspection of the premises — why not? It happens to students in most university towns.
Second, citizens must also change their casual attitude to security. I once asked a typical housing-society guard as to what extent he would go to protect the property. His answer was a revelation: “I will not risk my life for Rs2,000 per month.” And to think that you are paying such high maintenance for your flat! Do you really need that swimming pool in your apartment complex?
raghu@dnaindia.net
