Under the sun

Monday, January 16, 2006

Point To Ponder

If you were a terrorist operating in India, what would figure first in your list of "hot" targets? I would say, any company in the Electronics City in Bangalore. In fact, last year there were rumors that there was a bomb threat (hoax) in the Infy or Wipro campus.
A strike would give the terrorists unprecendented recognition, inflict deep and gaping wounds in the Indian heart and would send out a strong and clear message. Also, one should remember that like the lives of people in the parliament, the lives of geeks [like me] are more precious compared to the lives of people who die almost daily in Kashmir, for example. Why hasn't it happened yet? What has stopped them from striking? Is the Indian Intelligence equal to the challenges posed by these threats? Can they be, in the first place?
Moreover, were a crazed suicide bomber to decide one day to execute orders from his high command and proceed to any of the companies at Electronics City [Phase I and II], can he be stopped? OK, let's assume there are at least 2 of them, carrying AK-47s and explosives strapped to their bodies. Can they be stopped? How? They aren't going to come in, have their faces photographed in the webcam and ask for visitor passes.
How difficult is the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and support going to be, so that these 2 suicide bombers don't have the chances and means to carry out such attacks?
This brings us to the bigger question - can terrorism* be "cured"?



* - What is terrorism and who are terrorists is another matter and shall be taken up later.

9 Comments:

  • "Also, one should remember that like the lives of people in the parliament, the lives of geeks [like me] are more precious compared to the lives of people who die almost daily in Kashmir, for example."
    Why should it be? And in what way? What do you mean? All lives are precious. However, I think I'm deviating from the point. [Anyway, this is your space :)]

    IMHO,
    The main issue between the two countries is Kashmir. Hence, the place itself will face multiple attacks. Other acts of violence are just to prove their organization's existence and to instill fear, I guess. Besides, if they caused extensive damage, think of what will happen if the Hindus retaliated. In other words, think of RSS, VHP, Shiv Sena...
    aargh... Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like a religious issue. I can't help but think about the Godhra incident and its aftermath...

    By Blogger Viji, at Mon Jan 16, 04:11:00 PM  

  • "Why should it be? And in what way? What do you mean? All lives are precious. However, I think I'm deviating from the point. [Anyway, this is your space :)]"
    Sarcasm Viji, sarcasm....
    Are all lives precious to The State?

    By Blogger Bala (Karthik), at Mon Jan 16, 04:23:00 PM  

  • oops, sorry!
    cheh... nan yen ipdi makka irukken?? :((

    By Blogger Viji, at Mon Jan 16, 05:14:00 PM  

  • i don't think it can ever be cured unless humananitarian values and ethics are imbibed on all people in the world and it seems to be a next to impossible task, so we shall live with terrorism :-)

    By Blogger NaiKutti, at Tue Jan 17, 03:08:00 PM  

  • To many, including me, 9/11 brutally brought out a new breed of terroists who weren't poor or illiterate. The cause is getting too complicated and so is the cure.

    By Blogger Me too, at Wed Jan 18, 04:04:00 AM  

  • naikutti,
    "on all people in the world"
    That's the key here....

    Aparna,
    Actually the causes are frighteningly simple and its out there for us to see....but that's beyond the scope of this post.

    The question remains unanswered - Why haven't the terrorists attacked Electronics City???

    By Blogger Bala (Karthik), at Wed Jan 18, 10:19:00 AM  

  • Bala,

    The cure for terrorism is executing them. Not leaving buses, calling them for peace talks. Bring strong anti terrorism laws which cannot be misused. And kill them. Thats all! Look at Israel.

    Ya ofcourse ban the human rights group!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at Thu Jan 19, 03:34:00 PM  

  • Ferrari,
    1. Killing terrorists (after they've proved to be terrorists beyond doubt) would ensure THEY can't carry out attacks, agreed.. you have a solid point there...
    2. Suicide bombers aren't afraid of death, needless to say (obviously!!!)
    3. How will death act as a deterrent for suicide bombers unlike other "normal" criminals? Infact death is a fuel for terrorists. I don't say so, history tells us so... [i don't imply to play ball with the terrorists here, as would have been obvious from my post]
    4. What is the track record of anti-terrorist laws? Wait till OBL strikes again!

    Like i said, i haven't even got into the WHY part, the question of who is a terrorist, human rights groups, fundamentalists of all religions, pseudo-secularists and the Israel phenomenon yet...

    By Blogger Bala (Karthik), at Fri Jan 20, 04:03:00 PM  

  • In the above comment, "(after they've proved to be terrorists beyond doubt)" should be read as "(after the've been proved to be terrorists beyond doubt)"

    By Blogger Bala (Karthik), at Fri Jan 20, 04:04:00 PM  

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