Another attack, lack of progress

India has suffered another attack, allegedly by Islamic militants. Three Bombs exploded outside the courts in Uttar Pradesh. Six people or more were killed and dozens injured. This attack is the latest of terror strikes to have hit India. From the time of the Mumbai Train blasts in July 2006, there have been two attacks in Hyderabad, One in Ajmer, the Samjhautha express blasts, the serial blasts in Delhi and now the triple blasts in UP.

The people are now on edge and are apprehensive. This will increase in the coming days. But, this is not the prime focus. The focus is on the aftermath, namely the status of the investigations behind the attacks. If Media reports are to be believed, then the Indian Intelligence agencies are yet to solve the reasons. The status on each of the above mentioned cases is still pending.

What should it be interpreted as? A sign of Incompetence? The true nature of tackling Terrorism? The answer to these two questions will not yield a definite solution. One can only speculate, as a common individual, about why these cases have not been resolved. The job of the Intelligence bureau is to get to the bottom of these acts, and then corodinate with security agencies to prevent it.

The individual may be mistaken for accusing the Intelligence of Incompetence. The Kargil war of 1999 showed just how bad our Intelligence agencies functioned. Right under our noses, Pakistani military and terror elements managed to cross and occupy some sections on the Indian side of the LoC (Line of control). The continued terror attacks might furthur establish this claim. The call for changing the structure of the Intelligence bureau is getting louder, and it may increase with another attack.

But, on the other hand, tackling terrorism is a very complex process. In India, it is believed that the main masterminds operate in another country, and carry out the attack through sleeper cells within the target. Tracking these cells is quiet complex, in a population of 1 billion. Also, the modes of communication, namely Internet and Satellite phone, make surveillance equally hard. The Intelligence agencies do have their hands full when dealing with this complex scenario.

There is also the social implication. If there is excessive surveillance, people might say that Freedom of expression and movement is being curbed. If more strict laws are passed, then it contributes perhaps to Human Rights violation. This is the reason why Terrorism is so dangerous. Because it alters other social setups, concrete action is difficult to undertake.

Excessive force leads to furthur blowbacks and increase in momentum of the attacks. The US case in Iraq is proof of that. In the end, it perhaps boils down to Citizen vigilance, which sounds very defeatist in nature. But, when all other options are extinguished, you need the desperate ploy of prevention. It is extremely difficult to predict what is going to happen, and asking it from Common individuals is asking too much. But, if lives have to be saved in this world of today, such desperate measures, in opposition to force, have to be taken.