September 8, 2011 marked another day when the fiendish forces of terrorism cocked the snook at the very ramparts of justice, the Delhi High Court.
How does it feel folks? Come on life moves on at a normal pace for those blokes who have done their job by tuning-in to various news channels and feeding on all those breaking news being pouring on to your television sets!
10 people have lost their lives while 65 have been injured, (mind you that’s just the official figures that are being quoted, how much we thrive on fudging figures, that has been a debatable question depending on how much is at stake!)
As I was bristling past the pictures on the flash panel of a reputed news portal, images being flashed, of those who unfortunately had to bear the brunt of being present at the premises on the mayday, seeking justice oblivious of the latent fact that judgment has already been delivered through the emblematic briefcase lying in proximity and loaded with explosives; I had this gooseflesh feeling, tears swelling in my eyes and that plebian feeling, ‘Thank God, I was not there!’ (you thought that was crassly selfish, well, I believe that thought must have struck the remaining amongst the billion population who inhabit this ‘Andher Nagari’)
For how long are we going to shrug our shoulders like this and continue treading on the usual course of life in the wake of the monster targeting few innocent lives yet again?
Chronologically it was for the twelfth time since 1997 when the capital of the Nation was targeted by the terrorists. Are we really that soft, nimble and so very forgiving that we allow these moles to enter into the city, plant a bomb and fleece the place leaving it bereft of the normal cacophony as the large bang sound deafens and numbs a few hundred? That left me mulling over the fact how did the United States of America cope with the worst crisis that hit the country, 9/11, a date that was to be etched in human mind for eternity and a catastrophe catalyzed by the Islamic Terror Forces. 3000 people lost their lives when the twin towers came crashing down like a pack of cards, and with those dwindling buildings what was also bruised was the citizen’s fate in the ability of the State to protect its subjects by acting like a fortress and not like the buffer zone of a National Park where intervention goes incessantly.
US for that matter didn’t have to confront with another situation resembling the crisis of 2001 when the entire world watched dumbstruck if it was really America that had been ravaged so badly. When I nosedived deeper into it the stark contrasts that exist as it is was there for all of us to behold and draw some substantive conclusions:
· An instant response of US post 9/11 was to wage a war on Afghanistan and make sure that the troupes of Al-Qaeda and Taliban are vanquished for once and all.
India continues to bear its baffled and forlorn state trying to garner as much sympathy as possible claiming and wailing loudly that we have borne the menace for quite long (that’s another matter that we are yet to devise a way-out of this mesh!). As far as the neighboring country is concerned, yeah we know every tidbit they are up to but we like keeping a mum, not verbose but taking a diffident stand somewhere in between where a mere mumbling act is more than enough to proclaim that yes we are victims, oh! My! My! Did you also pick your due share of ‘Kleenex’?
· As far as the perpetrators of 9/11 are concerned, while Khalid Sheikh Mohammed who confessed of his involvement was arrested in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in 2003, the man now serving the sentence at the Guantanamo Bay; overnight-turned antagonist for the entire globe, the man who became a testimony to how audacious one can be in a bid to challenge the Supreme on Earth, Osama Bin Laden was also literally lynched to death by the American forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 1, 2011.
India’s response (to similar situations): You see we deeply believe in trudging along in a systematic manner. Among several of our ham-fisted efforts the one of primary importance is that of drawing sketches, flash them at regular intervals on our TV screens so that the public doesn’t get the hint that the Investigating Agencies are in fact sitting idle!
· In the wake of the grotesque incident such as 9/11 it was for the first time in the history of America when SCATANA was invoked. SCATANA refers to the plan for the Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids, a specialized mechanism that allows America’s Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Department and Telecommunications Department to work in collaboration with each other in the interest of the country especially when faced with an emergency.
We have in our itinerary ghastly incidents like Mumbai 26/11 that sent tremors across as terrorists went around on a shooting spree and hurling out grenades for a duration of two days as if it was another drill for them though the premise was bit different, the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Oberoi Trident, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Café being the centers where the fellas came revving up keeping the NSG Guards on their toes for quite a while.
· Immediately after 9/11 the USA Patriot Act was brought into force with the sole intention of curbing terrorist activities in future and dealing with vicious elements in an utmost manner. The said act enabled an enhanced surveillance on all types of communication; it escalated the stature of the Secretary of the Treasury thereby allowing greater scrutiny on monetary transactions as well as strengthened the immigration authorities to keep a tab on all the suspicious individuals.
We actually heave a sigh of relief in simply extending our verbal condolences, in the words of our Prime Minister, ‘it was an act by the cowardly’; well-said! Apart from handing over the case to the NIA and announcing the compensation to be given to those who are dead or injured, there is little we can expect from the quarters of the pussilanimous. Not to forget critters like Anupam Kher, Suhel Seth and the like suddenly springing into action discussing and wasting their lungs trying to make the most of the prime time slot!
The tawdry show goes on and they have takers for it as well!
Thus no terror outfit can dare to touch the collars of the US while we continue to scour through news trying to ascertain if no one amongst near and dear ones was among those who breathed their last just before the clock ticked 10:15 am. Another routine activity for we, the mango people you see!
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