Talmizur Rahman
In Charge of the Light Brigade, Lord Alfred Tennyson used terms like ‘‘valley of death’’, ‘‘jaws of death’’ and ‘‘mouth of hell’’ to describe the macabre scene where 600 soldiers laid down their lives solely for the fault of some stupid general. With serial bomb blasts, bloodbaths and open as well as secret killings, including gunning down of journalists, having come to stay in Assam, the present scenario in the State can very well be projected by the terms used by the Victorian mouthpiece to describe the plight of 600 valiant soldiers committed to ‘‘do or die’’. With the terror outfits having a field day to carry out blasts and killings in the face of a State police force worthless and incompetent to the marrow of its bones, the people of the State find themselves in the same predicament as the 600 brave soldiers who were left with no option but to die in the battle of Balaclava (now in Ukraine) in the Crimean war of 1854-56.
In the words of the poet, the brave 600 found themselves in the midst of ‘‘cannon to the right of them’’, ‘‘cannon to the left of them’’, ‘‘cannon in front of them’’, and even ‘‘cannon behind them’’. Likewise, today the people of Assam are in the middle of terror to the right, left, in front and behind them while the police watch the show from a safe distance initially only to arrive at the sight of terror strike later, followed by skyrocketing statements of the steps initiated by them to apprehend the culprits. And likewise, the ministers and other government high-ups have made it a habit to announce that the law-and-order situation in the State is not only under control but also improving. Significantly, all such tall claims made by the police top brass and the government are almost invariably laced with blasts and killings. And the ground reality prominently reflects utter inefficiency on the part of the police and the government while terror strikes mount with accelerating momentum and the culprits continue to be at large.
After every blast the police announce that investigations are on and that the culprits will be brought to book, and pick up a few Tom, Dick or Harry for so-called interrogation, sometimes within hours of the incident only to show that the force is at work. Likewise, the government would continue to shout from rooftops its success story on the law and order front amidst deafening serial blasts. That being the ground reality, it is high time that the government be asked to bring out a white paper on the blast masterminds and operatives already brought to book for triggering various blasts in the last few years. All the beating-about-the-bush statements by the police after every blast only to show that the department is at work are likely to be reduced to a shambles by such a white paper if genuinely prepared. Hence it needs no mention that such a white paper would never see the light of the day. Thus, while terror continues to rip apart the State, the government and the police would continue to sing the stale chorus of ‘success’ and ‘efficiency’.
On the other hand, our ministers, bureaucrats and the top brass of the police force have proved to be masters in passing the buck. Hence, having miserably failed on the terror front, since sometime they have come up with a new theory that highlights the need for total cooperation from the people to confront terror squarely and effectively. This stand in turn raises several pertinent questions. Do our top cops, bureaucrats and ministers believe that the people of the State, by and large, are sympathetic towards the terror outfits or that they may be having links, direct or indirect, with such outfits? It would do the government and the police a world of good to have the basic knowledge that barring possibly a handful of such sympathizers or linkmen, possibly well over 90 nine per cent of the people of the State want lasting peace. Every family wants to live in peace and strive hard for the well-being of the family members. That being the reality, one wonders what exactly the government or the police mean by ‘‘total cooperation from the people’’. Is the government of the view that the people should do the job of policing at the cost of their various callings?
It is also pertinent to note that since the days of the British rule the wide chasm between the police and the general public has remained unchanged. The bitter truth is that the common people generally tend to remain aloof from the police. And they cannot be blamed for this queer mindset. Leave alone becoming an unnecessary suspect in the eyes of the police, for a host of reasons the people generally tend to shy away even from being witnesses in criminal cases. After all, a witness has to face all kinds of examination and cross-examination, both at the police station and then at the court. Judiciary again is a slow grinding machinery and consumes long years and even decades in deciding a case. The question arises as to who would bell the cat for such cooperation by the people that involves time, labour and money.
Another area where the performance of Assam Police has been utterly dismal pertains to intelligence. Leave alone the State police working on its own intelligence inputs, in respect of some of the recent blasts in the State, the Assam Police has failed to be effective even after reportedly being fed with central or army intelligence inputs. The question paramount in the mind of the conscious observer is: Why? Researchers will agree that sincerity, dedication, concentration and application, among other factors, are the hallmark of any successful organization in any sector. These qualities tend to decline and ultimately vanish once corruption makes headway into an organization. In the case of the State police force, corruption is more of a rule than an exception with an overwhelming number of personnel minting wealth through corrupt means.
It may not be totally out of place to question at this juncture if the terror forces are taking recourse to buying their way to strike terror. History bears witness to the fact that even at the height of the World War II, enemy agents, and in some cases even double agents, were rubbing shoulders in the corridors of power in London and Berlin. While some were caught, others managed to have their way. And in majority of the cases money played a vital role. Drawing lessons from history and in the light of rampant corruption in the government departments, would it be inappropriate to suspect that the terrorists could also be using money power to successfully strike terror?
While the VIPs and other high-ups may have reasons to cherish that they are beyond the range of any terror strike, the general public is left with no option other than emboldening their resolve to continue with the struggle of life with terror lurking around every corner. That being the emerging scenario, the people appear to be left with the only option of continuing with their struggle of life under the darkening shadow of death, while the government high-ups and the top brass of the police continue singing their chorus of ‘success’ in countering terror.
(The writer is a journalist) THE SENTINEL
In Charge of the Light Brigade, Lord Alfred Tennyson used terms like ‘‘valley of death’’, ‘‘jaws of death’’ and ‘‘mouth of hell’’ to describe the macabre scene where 600 soldiers laid down their lives solely for the fault of some stupid general. With serial bomb blasts, bloodbaths and open as well as secret killings, including gunning down of journalists, having come to stay in Assam, the present scenario in the State can very well be projected by the terms used by the Victorian mouthpiece to describe the plight of 600 valiant soldiers committed to ‘‘do or die’’. With the terror outfits having a field day to carry out blasts and killings in the face of a State police force worthless and incompetent to the marrow of its bones, the people of the State find themselves in the same predicament as the 600 brave soldiers who were left with no option but to die in the battle of Balaclava (now in Ukraine) in the Crimean war of 1854-56.
In the words of the poet, the brave 600 found themselves in the midst of ‘‘cannon to the right of them’’, ‘‘cannon to the left of them’’, ‘‘cannon in front of them’’, and even ‘‘cannon behind them’’. Likewise, today the people of Assam are in the middle of terror to the right, left, in front and behind them while the police watch the show from a safe distance initially only to arrive at the sight of terror strike later, followed by skyrocketing statements of the steps initiated by them to apprehend the culprits. And likewise, the ministers and other government high-ups have made it a habit to announce that the law-and-order situation in the State is not only under control but also improving. Significantly, all such tall claims made by the police top brass and the government are almost invariably laced with blasts and killings. And the ground reality prominently reflects utter inefficiency on the part of the police and the government while terror strikes mount with accelerating momentum and the culprits continue to be at large.
After every blast the police announce that investigations are on and that the culprits will be brought to book, and pick up a few Tom, Dick or Harry for so-called interrogation, sometimes within hours of the incident only to show that the force is at work. Likewise, the government would continue to shout from rooftops its success story on the law and order front amidst deafening serial blasts. That being the ground reality, it is high time that the government be asked to bring out a white paper on the blast masterminds and operatives already brought to book for triggering various blasts in the last few years. All the beating-about-the-bush statements by the police after every blast only to show that the department is at work are likely to be reduced to a shambles by such a white paper if genuinely prepared. Hence it needs no mention that such a white paper would never see the light of the day. Thus, while terror continues to rip apart the State, the government and the police would continue to sing the stale chorus of ‘success’ and ‘efficiency’.
On the other hand, our ministers, bureaucrats and the top brass of the police force have proved to be masters in passing the buck. Hence, having miserably failed on the terror front, since sometime they have come up with a new theory that highlights the need for total cooperation from the people to confront terror squarely and effectively. This stand in turn raises several pertinent questions. Do our top cops, bureaucrats and ministers believe that the people of the State, by and large, are sympathetic towards the terror outfits or that they may be having links, direct or indirect, with such outfits? It would do the government and the police a world of good to have the basic knowledge that barring possibly a handful of such sympathizers or linkmen, possibly well over 90 nine per cent of the people of the State want lasting peace. Every family wants to live in peace and strive hard for the well-being of the family members. That being the reality, one wonders what exactly the government or the police mean by ‘‘total cooperation from the people’’. Is the government of the view that the people should do the job of policing at the cost of their various callings?
It is also pertinent to note that since the days of the British rule the wide chasm between the police and the general public has remained unchanged. The bitter truth is that the common people generally tend to remain aloof from the police. And they cannot be blamed for this queer mindset. Leave alone becoming an unnecessary suspect in the eyes of the police, for a host of reasons the people generally tend to shy away even from being witnesses in criminal cases. After all, a witness has to face all kinds of examination and cross-examination, both at the police station and then at the court. Judiciary again is a slow grinding machinery and consumes long years and even decades in deciding a case. The question arises as to who would bell the cat for such cooperation by the people that involves time, labour and money.
Another area where the performance of Assam Police has been utterly dismal pertains to intelligence. Leave alone the State police working on its own intelligence inputs, in respect of some of the recent blasts in the State, the Assam Police has failed to be effective even after reportedly being fed with central or army intelligence inputs. The question paramount in the mind of the conscious observer is: Why? Researchers will agree that sincerity, dedication, concentration and application, among other factors, are the hallmark of any successful organization in any sector. These qualities tend to decline and ultimately vanish once corruption makes headway into an organization. In the case of the State police force, corruption is more of a rule than an exception with an overwhelming number of personnel minting wealth through corrupt means.
It may not be totally out of place to question at this juncture if the terror forces are taking recourse to buying their way to strike terror. History bears witness to the fact that even at the height of the World War II, enemy agents, and in some cases even double agents, were rubbing shoulders in the corridors of power in London and Berlin. While some were caught, others managed to have their way. And in majority of the cases money played a vital role. Drawing lessons from history and in the light of rampant corruption in the government departments, would it be inappropriate to suspect that the terrorists could also be using money power to successfully strike terror?
While the VIPs and other high-ups may have reasons to cherish that they are beyond the range of any terror strike, the general public is left with no option other than emboldening their resolve to continue with the struggle of life with terror lurking around every corner. That being the emerging scenario, the people appear to be left with the only option of continuing with their struggle of life under the darkening shadow of death, while the government high-ups and the top brass of the police continue singing their chorus of ‘success’ in countering terror.
(The writer is a journalist) THE SENTINEL
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