More blasts, more strains, more polarization

26 blasts in the space of 2 days have rocked India. The country has witnessed several incidents over the last 2 years. The peak possibly has reached in the 17 blasts which shook Ahmadabad recently. The calls for strict anti-terrorism law is being called for, and in the case of India, the social fabric falls under severe strain. Society is now starting to get polarized, and the suspicion falls squarely on one community.

If one has observed terror incidents over the last 8 years, starting from 9/11, it has always followed a pattern. The aim of chaos, followed by panic and collapse, is the common aim of terrorists. But, what is worrying is that politicians and media alike have tried to concertize something which is vague. Since, terrorists do not have a label, it is hard to isolate and deal with them.

Any attempt to concertize terrorists and their activists has inevitably led to more destruction. The case of Afghanistan and to some extent Sri Lanka have demonstrated that terrorists come harder if the state cracks down heavily. In the case of Sri Lanka, the terrorists are in a group called the LTTE, so it is a war between a group and the state. In the case of India, it is a vague battle, with no clear battle lines drawn.

The battle line is history, where-in the state has created problems for which it is facing a backlash.Gujarat fell victim to the Godhra riots, a state sponsored program which resulted in the deaths of thousands. In the case of Bangalore, it is not known why it is the target except that it is the IT capital of India.

We only know one thing. In India, blasts are done to physically and mentally rupture the diverse social fabric of which the nation is build on. These blasts indeed chip away at the foundation, but in the case of India, the base is quiet strong because majority condemn the attacks on ordinary people. But, if this continues, then it wont be long before riots cause the fabric to break.