Defeat jihadis or be defeated

The terrorists struck in a big way in Delhi on September 13, killing more than a score of innocent people and injuring many others in a series of coordinated bombings. The bombs, the first of which exploded at 6.15pm, all went off within 45 minutes of each other, targeting three posh and highly crowded market.

All the bombs were of low intensity, consisting of a cocktail of ammonium nitrate, gunpowder, ball bearings and nails, with timer devices. They were same as the bpmbs used in Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. All of them were triggered using electronic timers.

Apart from one, all the bombs were strategically kept in dustbins to avoid detection. The responsibility for the attacks has been claimed by the Indian Mujahideen; a homegrown terrorist group with links to Pakistani terrorists that first came to prominence in May following the Jaipur serial bombings. The group followed that up with bombings in Bangalore and Ahmedabad in July.

The Gujarat Government says that the terrorists arrested by its police had confessed that their next target would be Delhi. It also claims that it had accordingly informed the Union Government. In the e-mail sent before the Ahmedabad blasts, the Indian Mujahideen had said; "In the light of injustice and wrongs on the Muslims of Gujarat, we advance our jihad and call our brethern under it, to unite and answer these irresolute Kaffireens of India. We call you, O Muslims of Gujarat, to elevate yourselves from the fears of these wretched Hindus, to unify all your courage and bravery that you have in your hearts."

Jihadis invoke religious sanction or quote religious texts to justify their acts of terrorism. They do not shy away from admitting the religious nature of their ultimate goal, that is the Islamisation of society. Literature found with the activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India talks of this goal. Since the Jihadis use the cloak of religion, they easily draw support from some sections of their co-religionists.

Jihadis are active in India not because India is the Number One enemy of Islam, but because it is considered to be a soft target. India is widely seen as the country 'most affected by terrorism' after Iraq. Our counter-terrorism responses have been rather muted and quite often non-existent.

Regrettably, when terrorist attacks take place in our country, the intelligence and security agencies are in deep slumber. The have no clue as to where these attacks could take place and vague, unspecific communications are passed off as intelligence input. Intelligence failure has repeatedly been the rule rather than the exception.

For targeting terrorism, we need a citizens' network to serve as an information gathering mechanism. We need to involve village panchayats, area committees, residents welfare associations, housing societies, etc. These organisations have, in the course of their normal activities, access to information that can help in monitoring suspicious activities.

Yet, this wealth of information is not tapped by the various intelligence agencies. The present political establishment is of no help at all. What we get as assurances are the same old repeated standard statements that terrorism will be dealt with strongly. But when and how are questions no one seems to have answers to. When will the Government learn that this is not a low-intensity conflict? This is a war, and innocent citizens are increasingly getting caught in the firing line.

The sooner the Government realises this, the better it will be. You cannot give excuses and not fight this war. There are no rules in killing an enemy who is out to kill you. The Union Government should rise above vote-bank politics and enact strict anti-terrorism laws of its own if it does not want to approve the laws passed by State Governments. There is some element of truth in the grievances of the States that when a terrorist attack takes place, the blame is squarely laid on the State Government for its failure to tackle terrorism. At the same time the States are not allowed to use tougher laws to tackle terrorism. As a result, anti-terrorist laws passed by the Rajasthan and Gujarat Governments are gathering dust in the portals of power in New Delhi.

Vote-bank politics and minorityism are among the factors that inhibit significant action against Jihadis. There is already a feeling in some sections of the country that the majority is being taken for granted.

Inadequate policing is a major constraint in tackling terrorism. It has been known for long that India's law enforcement machinery is severely under-staffed. The country's police to population ratio, already very low compared to many other countries, is getting worse. Data released by the Union Home Ministry shows that the ratio has declined from 143 police per 100,000 citizens at the end of 2005, to 126 per 100,000 citizens at the end of 2006. There is need to rectify this aspect immediately.

On the other hand, the criminal justice system is no better. There is no real fear of the law. The UK had introduced a special system for protecting the identities of certain witnesses in special cases by letting them tender evidence in anonymity. The Law Lords recently declared this provision illegal. However, Justice Secretary Jack Straw has said the Government would introduce legislation on a priority basis to enshrine the use of anonymous witnesses where intimidation is a risk. India needs to consider a similar amendment to the Evidence Act.

Apart from this, we must employ the latest technology to assist our security forces in the war on terror. In this respect market associations installing CCTV cameras will go a long way. It is worthwhile to spend a small portion of your earnings in improving your own security. The Government, on its part, should stop making hollow statements that are not backed up by deeds.

The UPA needs to realise that if the Government cannot assure security to the people, it should forget about development, industrialisation and higher economic growth. There can be no dialogue or understanding with terrorist groups. Either we can defeat terrorists or be defeated by them. The choice is ours.

Source: Daily Pioneer