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Inconvenient Terrorists One of the most encouraging aspects of the chase of terrorists after the latest bomb blasts in Delhi has been an encounter with five of them in their own den at Jamianagar, leading to the death of two and arrest of one. However, the saddest part of the encounter was the death of a very brave police officer, Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who decided to take five of the terrorists head-on in their lair and got shot down in the process. However, the police managed to kill two of them, took one alive and were able to round up seven persons thereafter on the basis of the confessions of Mohammad Saif, the terrorist who had been arrested. In laying down his life for his country and the security of millions of Indians, Inspector Sharma upheld the highest ideals of patriotism and dedication to duty. He also left a reminder for other policemen in the country that those who have chosen to be in the police force cannot always be thinking only about their own safety. In fact, those who cannot look beyond their own safety ought to have chosen some other calling. He may even have left a lesson for senior police officers who, ironically, cannot start moving until their own security staff is in place even to save their country! He certainly left a lesson for policemen in Andhra Pradesh who prefer not to use four-wheeled vehicles because they are the prime targets of Naxalites. Perhaps the greatest service that Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma rendered to his country was to ‘secular’ politicians of India – by compelling them to jettison their perverse notions of what constitutes secularism vis-a-vis the kind of terrorism that we have had for some time now. And had it not been for him, we might have had 20 more powerful bombs capable of reducing Nehru Place in New Delhi to rubble. After the latest serial bomb blasts in Delhi, an emergent meeting was summoned by Sonia Gandhi. It was a meeting that discussed not just the security situation, but also the need for a tougher law against terrorists. While ministers like Sharad Pawar were categorical about the need to apply the law to all criminals alike, there were ultra-secular politicians like Ram Vilas Paswan who insisted that there was no place for a law against terrorists that underscored the fact that all terrorists connected with serial blasts were Muslims! What the poor minister failed to appreciate was that a country that had proclaimed itself to be a “secular democratic republic” had no right to think of taking a lenient stance when terrorists belonged to a particular religion! Thus, in pleading for a law against terrorism that would shield a particular religion, Paswan was actually articulating the fear of every politician in the country who flaunts his perverse ‘secularism’ because he has the Muslim vote bank in mind for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. And these are the politicians of the world’s largest democracy who are determined to perpetuate several perversely undemocratic acts merely to curry favour with the minorities for their votes. Foremost among them is the total rejection of the majority in favour of the minorities. Our ‘secular’ politicians cannot go on pretending that the Hindu majority does not exist, that it is ‘communal’, that it is responsible for starting all riots in the country and that it must be ruthlessly crushed underfoot. The Hindus have taken this from ‘secular’ Hindu rulers for over 60 years and they will not be taken for granted any more. Secularism survives in some form in India only because the majority practice it for the benefit of the minorities. Any politician who has failed to appreciate this in 61 years, does not know where he is and does not understand what secularism is. It is for such ‘secular’ politicians as also for the Congress that the identities of the principal villains of the latest Delhi serial blasts have proved to be so inconvenient. They have all turned out to be Muslims from Azamgarh district in UP. This is certainly not an indication that all Muslims are terrorists. But it is turning out to be an inconvenient fact that all such terrorists are Muslims. All those who have had anything to do with the serial blasts in several Indian cities have turned out to be Muslims. This is hardly surprising, considering that the principal motivators of Indian terrorists are the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Pakistan’s ISI and the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) now masquerading as the Indian Mujahideen (IM). The point that needs to be made very strongly now by all right-thinking Indians and the media is that what has been happening is not merely the worst form of terrorism but also treason against the country. Treason has to be dealt with penal provisions far more stringent and deterrent than the sentence for assassination of an individual. It merits the most severe punishment that any country has for the most heinous of crimes. If a country has retained the death sentence, it should be used not only for murder but for treason too. We recall how in October 1984 the Congress party unleashed death on innocent Sikhs for days because Indira Gandhi’s assassin was a Sikh. The same Congress party in power now fails to get Afzal Guru hanged even though he targeted the nation and not just one individual. If the death sentence of Afzal Guru had been executed soon after the verdict was delivered, we may not have had so many terrorists daring to carry out serial blasts. And that is precisely why the SIMI must be banned for good, and all terrorists already apprehended and those to be apprehended in the days to come should face speedy trials and hanged for treason if found guilty. As for the suppliers of material from Udipi and Chennapattana in Karnataka, they too should receive the most deterrent punishment without any loss of time. And since we call ourselves a secular country, there should be only one set of laws for everyone in the country.

Between the lines Terrorists of Different Breed Kuldip Nayar Mangled bodies, wounded people and fear-stricken faces —every bomb blast, anywhere, leaves this image in its wake. Recent serial blasts at Delhi were no different. What is different is that this blast confirms the existence of Islamist terrorism in India. Unlike the past, when Pakistan was a straightaway suspect, this time the search is within the county. Still, the Indian Mujahideen, the terrorist outfit which has taken the responsibility, is linked with Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami and the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the two groups said to be operating from Pakistan. Defence Minister AK Anthony has put the blame on Pakistan but in a general way. Delhi blasts have followed a familiar pattern — low-intensity bombs, timer devices and e-mails to the media for information — that has been seen in Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Apparently, the group gets a malicious satisfaction in killing the innocent and selects crowded places like markets to increase the number of casualties. One thing is certain that the killers have no qualms of conscience although their functioning suggests that they are a highly educated lot. That they should indulge in mayhem in the holy month of Ramzan should not be a surprise. What is disturbing is that the big cities from where they operate seem to have a network of people who support, shelter and guide them. True, money can buy such helpers. But the latter are like-minded and convinced about the righteousness of their task. This indicates that India has come to have a determined number of people who are willing to challenge the state which in any case remains inept and clueless. The belief getting strengthened is that the culprits are Muslims. But they themselves want to know the identity of the killers. The BJP is exploiting the situation. But neither the party nor any of its organization has condemned the killing of Christians and the burning of their churches. After Orissa, the orgy has spread to Karnataka, a BJP-run State. This has frightened the minorities. Muslims and Christians are feeling insecure. They are increasingly getting consolidated on religious lines. The added reason for Muslims’ alienation is New Delhi’s tilt towards Washington. Indeed, the Muslim community has got disillusioned from the ethos of secularism which the dominant opinion in India upholds. Muslims have experienced how the reality is different when it gets translated into an equal treatment. The Sachar Committee has proved the hollowness of government’s claims with facts and figures which it has collected from official sources at the Centre and in the States. Therefore, the community is tempted to go it alone. The coming polls may show some evidence of it. The Muslim vote can influence some 120 Lok Sabha seats. The feeling of going it alone is understandable, but not beneficial. It may give vent to the community’s exasperation and may divide the society further. This is not in the interest of Muslims who have the largest population in India, next to Indonesia. Even otherwise, the smouldering differences between Hindus and Muslims can catch fire, much to the glee of the BJP which is back to its Hindutva agenda with a vengeance. However the Muslim community may be smarting under a sense of denial, it has to strengthen the pluralistic society by playing a lead role. Some Muslims leaders should take upon themselves the task of finding out the credentials of the so-called Indian Mujahideen who are trying to destroy India’s fabric of secularism and causing harm to the Muslim community. A few days ago, some Muslims had announced that they would go into the blasts at Jaipur and Bangalore to pick up concrete evidence which the governments have failed to collect. Many Muslims believe that those who are being arrested on suspicion are nowhere connected with the blasts. The country is facing a real challenge. The majority and the minorities are going apart and the government does not seem to have any idea how to span the distance. Jawaharlal Nehru also envisaged such a situation. There is something in what he said: Communalism of minorities can be fought and curbed but communalism of the majority would take the shape of fascism. Another breed of terrorists has cropped up in India. They are not necessarily fundamentalist, nor are they from the underworld. You may call them rough necks or just goondas. Yet, they have acquired muscles to dictate individuals how to lead their life. They are everywhere. But they proliferate in Maharashtra. They are often targeting creative people, film stars or artists or writers because this catches attention. It also tickles their vanity and gives them the vicarious satisfaction of pulling down the celebrities whom they can never reach in name or fame. In Maharashtra they call themselves by the name of the Shiv Sena, and in Orissa, the Bajrang Dal. Their religion should not dupe you because they are the scrum of society. Their strong point is that they either operate with the connivance of the state or with the confidence that the society has no guts to intervene to fight against them. They wish to wield political power but seldom come near it because the voters fear them, not trust them. For some time, Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackery has been quiet. Partly, age has mellowed him but partly he has come to realize that Maharashtra is part of India, not that India is part of Maharashtra. His notoriety began with the ultimatum to north Indians to leave the State but converted the sentiment into Hindutva and joined hands with the BJP. Raj Thackery, his nephew, has come to reignite the same anti-north phobia when the uncle has preferred his son as the successor. Many poor Biharis had to leave Mumbai following attacks on them and the destruction of their scanty belongings. But film actors are still on the top of the list. Talented Jaya Bachchan was Raj Thackery’s target because she said she did not have to necessarily stick to Marathi in Maharashtra and would speak in Hindi since she belonged to UP. Unfortunately, when public opinion was building up in her support, her husband Amitabh Bachchan offered an abject apology. Why do not people put up fight against injustice? Amitabh Bachchan chose the least line of resistance. Another person to surrender to goonda-ism is Maqbool Fida Husain, the leading painter. Artists and others fought for his right to show Bharat Mata naked. While dismissing the 3,000 cases against him, the Supreme Court said that there are many such pictures, paintings and sculptures and some of them are in temples. Husain should have come back to India but he preferred to celebrate his 93rd birthday at Dubai. It is a pity that decent people have no appetite to confront the indecent.

POTA is the Only Panacea to Terror Dina Nath Mishra When the UPA government repealed POTA, it argued that the existing laws were enough to deal with the menace of terrorism. Tremendous political mileage was achieved. An impression was given to the Muslims that a great relief had been granted to them. After every terrorist attack during the last four-and-a-half years, a debate has ensued as to whether the present laws are enough to deal with terrorism. In fact, all strategic thinkers, intelligence agencies, police administration and the ilk have been voicing for the need for an effective anti-terror law as the existing laws are not adequate in dealing with terrorists who are equipped with latest weapons and technology. Ever since the UPA government came to power, there has been a quantum jump in terrorist attacks in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and other States. Everywhere police and intelligence agencies are found wanting in the absence of a POTA-like law. POTA was very useful in identifying and apprehending terrorists. Take the example of Afzal Guru, the chief architect of attack on Parliament — and one may recall the cacophony which followed just after the attack on Parliament. One cannot handle modern day high-tech terrorism with old laws meant for dealing with lathis-and-knives crimes. The States, which wanted to have a MOCOCA-type law on the lines of Maharashtra, were not given necessary assent by the Central government. When asked, Shivraj Patil said that ‘‘we cannot allow the States to have such laws that have been repealed by us in 2004’’. But remember that MOCOCA continues in Maharashtra. This is a clear case of double standard and discrimination against BJP governments. Now the latest Delhi serial blasts have shaken the confidence of Delhi-ites. Congress leaders have started to realize that it is going to cost heavily in the forthcoming Delhi Assembly election. They have sensed that the benefit of repealing POTA would not match the loss in the forthcoming elections in several States. Therefore, the UPA government has fished out the Veerappa Moily report so as to bring up an anti-terror law! National Security Advisor MK Narayanan now tells us that a stringent law will be required to deal with terrorism. Home Minister Patil, not aware of the public mood, has rebuffed MK Narayanan. On the other hand, shortly after consultations with Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh admitted the mistake of removal of POTA in 2004 and the need for a comprehensive anti-terror law. This law, he said, would be on the lines of the international consensus on anti-terror laws. This change of policy is an acceptance of the mistake of doing away with POTA. The international consensus on anti-terror law had been reached seven years back. USA, UK, France and several other countries follow these guidelines of anti-terror law. This consensus was very much in place when POTA was repealed four years back. What new international consensus has now been arrived at to which Dr Manmohan Singh is referring? Of course there was no reason to repeal POTA except for the vote bank approach of pseudo-secular parties. Whether or not Dr Manmohan Singh or the Congress party accepts it, the 2004 decision to repeal POTA was a dangerous political move, which encouraged both terrorists and their supporters and sympathizers. Since then, the scenario of terrorism in India has changed dramatically. Earlier, terrorism required Pakistan’s ISI and their agents to implement it, but now there are thousands of Indian Mujahideen cadres. The difference should not be lost on anyone.

Sarai Meer: Beyond Terror Rajat Rai Sarai Meer in Azamgarh district in eastern Uttar Pradesh is in the news for the wrong reasons — all 13 young men linked to bomb blasts in Delhi call this area their home. But Sarai Meer is also an island of prosperity — largely due to its expat connection — amid glaring rural poverty. Shops stacked with branded goods, a variety of eateries, two Western Union money transfer outlets, nursing homes, dozens of shops selling mobile handsets — Sarai Meer, around 270 km from state capital Lucknow and about 750 km from New Delhi, is a throbbing place. Luxury cars, mostly with Maharashtra registration numbers, zoom around the narrow streets of Sarai Meer. It accounts for a population of 1.5 million out of Azamgarh district’s four million. Many here lead a lifestyle that most people in nearby areas can only dream of. Scorpio, Innova, Tata Sumo, Bolero and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are a common sight. So are luxury brands from Honda and Hyundai. The source of Sarai Meer’s prosperity is well known. Virtually every family has at least one member working in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates — and sending money home. One hero of this place is politician Abu Asim Azmi, a Samajwadi Party MP and head of the party’s Maharashtra unit. “His three-storey house in Mumbai, where a car can drive up to the third storey, is much discussed here,” Basheer, a resident, says. One man who has given notoriety to Azamgarh is Abu Salem, an alleged crimeboss who is in prison and who visited Sarai Meer last year for his mother’s funeral. “His cavalcade had about a dozen cars and over a thousand people gathered to see him,” remembers Ghulam Rasool, another resident. Yet another product of Azamgarh is Shabana Azmi, a highly respected actor and politician. Azamgarh’s people like to travel abroad for work. The number of passport applications received from the district is the highest from the whole of eastern Uttar Pradesh. “We get nearly 1,500 applications every month. Most passport seekers are from Sarai Meer and adjoining places,” Azamgarh Superintendent of Police Ramit Sharma says. The region has emerged as an important centre supplying manpower to industries of Mumbai. Two placement agencies here supply skilled as well as unskilled workers, mainly to Mumbai. Now that the police have started tracing phone calls of the terror bombing suspects in and out of the region, they are faced with some startling facts. “In such a small area, mobile phone companies make a turnover of nearly Rs 15 crore (Rs.150 million) a month. Over 60 per cent of this is incurred in making international calls,” said an officer of the local intelligence unit in the police force. There are more banks in Sarai Meer than in other parts of Azamgarh. Besides four nationalized banks, there are two local banks. Officials say the average monthly turnover of each bank is Rs 50 million. On top of that, companies involved in transferring money from other countries do a business of approximately another Rs 50 million a month. The police have always been interested in Sarai Meer — for a reason that has nothing to do with terrorism. A small village in the block, Bambhaour, produces illegal pistols almost like a cottage industry. “The weapons made here carry an inscription ‘Made in Bambhaour’. We are making all efforts to curb this,” Sharma says. Bambhaour is a village of blacksmiths. Sarai Meer offers little opportunity to the academically inclined. There is no institution for higher learning. Apart from schools, there are three madrassas. “The region does not have any degree college. Those interested in pursuing higher studies head for Azamgarh, 30 km away,” says Chandra Shekhar Singh, a farmer whose daughters take a bumpy ride of two hours each way to and from their college. (IANS) source: sentinel assam