IT has been nearly three years since the terror attacks on Mumbai stunned India and the world. But even now, there is an absence of comfort at how we might deal with another terrorist blitzkrieg of the same intensity. The city is still recovering from last Saturday’s horrific violence by Muslim youth against the ethnic killings in Assam and Myanmar. But the hand wringing and sermonizing have begun. Words are tossed about: ‘dastardly act, ‘spirit of Mumbai’ and so on. But the one question we should be asking is this: what do we learn from these repeated strikes? Even as we prepare to stamp out terrorism, are we even prepared for the next strike?
But the truth is that the protest at Azad Maidan which culminated in deaths, arson and destruction of public property caught the Mumbai police on the wrong foot and not for the first time. It is ironical that the protest rally organised by the Raza Academy to highlight the ‘poor’ media coverage of violence against Muslims in Assam and Myanmar,
itself turned violent, claiming the lives of two persons and injuring many. The violence that erupted despite advance intelligence reports once again proves that there is no preventive effort in place to prevent such incidents.
Neither has intelligence gathering improved nor have investigative agencies been spruced up. At the end of the day, what is required is an efficient, intelligence-gathering machinery and a police force that can act upon such intelligence with ruthless determination. Mumbai happened precisely because the police and intelligence failed to detect and deal with the violence, thus failing to act on time. This is indeed a sad commentary on the law and order management of our government.
That the police department was caught off guard is evident in the number of casualties-many of them cops, large scale destruction of property and the paralyzing of South Mumbai for a while. Indeed, the lack of preparedness on the part of its personnel is appalling. This is increasingly being seen as an intelligence failure. It highlights the fact that the loopholes in the system remain despite promises of intelligence revamping after the Mumbai attacks of 26/11.
Anticipating violence, the Mumbai police should have taken adequate safety measures. Considering the city’s past record, and in view of the senseless killings erupting in Assam, the police personel should have put into place stringent security measures aimed at curbing the designs of those out to destroy the fragile fabric of communal amity. In view of Independence Day and the recent Pune serial blasts, they should have refused permission for such a large gathering of protestors at Azad Maidan. Despite intelligence about the estimated crowd, no adequate arrangements were made to tackle the riot-like situation. A confidential report had been sent to the Mumbai police commissioner that he should expect law and order “problems” especially because Muslims were being instructed in their mosques during Friday prayers to attend the Saturday protests; of course,the police must be blamed for assuming that the permission given to an unregistered group to hold a prayer meeting in Azad Maidan would be a placid affair.
More than the police, there was also colossal mismanagement on the part of authorities. It is strange that the Maharashtra government did not anticipate trouble when it gave permission for the gathering at Azad Maidan. A protest about such surcharged issues are bound to draw crowds and are always likely to turn violent. The authorities should have been more alert while granting permission for such a gathering. Perhaps to cover up for its lack of foresight and preparations the government then expressed surprise at the predictable mayhem. Indeed, the failure to deploy and plan adequately was glaring.
Protests and agitations such as those that took place in Mumbai where people gathered to protest the killing of Muslims in Assam and Myanmar are unacceptable. The argument that the media coverage of Assam riots was poor because victims were Muslims does not hold any water. The grufarat riots where most victims were Muslims are still being condemned by the media. Also, not just Muslims  have suffered in the Assam riots. Many non-Muslims also have been killed and displaced. They should have used a lawful method to register their protest and help the affected persons, instead of teaching the media “a lesson”. Under the pretex of showing solidarity and concern, the culprits planned to create chaos in the financial capital.
It is quite deplorable that some Muslim groups, rather than advocating moderation and peaceful protests chose to excite passions leading to the violence. It appears that some elements want to exploit the Assam incidents to further their personal agendas. The leadership of protest organisers also needs to be blamed for building up the anger inciting some of the protestors to resort to violence. It was a display of pure rage fanned by mullahs and speakers on the stage, who might have used photo-shopped atrocities against Muslims to create communal conflagration. However, the unconditional apology tendered by the organisers is also praiseworthy.
The manner, in which the violence unfolded, points to pre-planned disruption and even senior Crime Branch officials confirm that the initial investigation indicated that it could be a well-planned riot. The GRP has captured CCTV footage of mobs boarding from Kurla and alighting at CST. Also, images of mobs carrying petrol cans and spilling them on vehicles fairly establishes that the participants of the rally came prepared to wreak havoc.
Saturday’s violence that rocked Mumbai led to the adjournment of the Lok Sabha for an hour for the second consecutive day on Tuesday when opposition members trooped into the well of the house demanding the dismissal of the Maharashtra government and a judicial probe into the incident. They also demanded a statement from the Union Home Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde on the issue.
Security agencies have pinpointed the role of the banned SIMI in the violence at Azad Maidan as revealed during interrogation of 23 persons accused of rioting in Mumbai. In fact, former Union Home Minister, Mr. Chidambaram had on July 31 observed that the operatives of SIMI were carrying forward the subversive agenda through associations with different outfits in different states.
At the same time, those who incite violence on the pretext of expressing sympathy for the victims of Assam riots should be dealt with sternly. Violence cannot be justified on any ground, including the 1993 Mumbai riots or the fear perception of minorities, as some pseudo-secularists would love to justify. The Mumbai violence is a serious expression of tensions building up in many parts of the country. The Assam spill-over can have implications across the country if the government fails to take urgent measures.
We have seen this in the past, we saw it in Bombay on Saturday and we will see it again in the future. The tentacles of terror cannot be destroyed without waging a relentless war on terror. The left liberal intelligentsia, have for too long been allowed to dictate the government’s policy on fighting terrorism. The ruling leadership must now ignore both and fulfil its responsibility to the people. There are equally compelling arguments for a qualitative improvement in intelligence-gathering and processing. It is no secret that the Intelligence Bureau has been reduced to no more than an extension counter of the ruling party and political patronage has reduced our agencies to being ineffective. Needless to add, it would be in order to gear up our police and intelligence agencies to avoid such fiascos in future.