26/11: Three years on, no lessons learnt?

Mtoday news / CNN-IBN

Mumbai, Nov 26: It has been three years since the worst terror attack on Indian soil. Mumbai was under siege for almost three days that left 170 people dead. It was a tough battle for Mumbai’s police as they took on heavily armed terrorists with nothing more than archaic rifles exposing security loopholes. But the question remains whether we have learnt our lessons since 26/11.

Stunning stories of bravery and heroism in the line of duty couldn’t hide the ugly reality of an ailing police force.

 

Post 26/11, the Maharashtra government has spent well over Rs 100 crore on police modernisation. It now has its own elite commandos, the Force One, trained on the lines of the National Security Guards. The commandos, along with the Quick Response Team will be the first respondents to another 26/11 style attack. A range of sophisticated weapons and protective gear has also been procured along with urban combat vehicles.

Intelligence sharing and co-ordination has also improved and so has the response time, as seen after the 13/7 serial bombings. But, failure to crack that very same serial blasts’ case and the Pune German Bakery blast points to the serious manpower crunch.

The state Anti-terrorism Squad was sanctioned 90 Sub-inspectors, but 80 posts are lying vacant. Same goes with senior positions like ACPs and DCPs. The ATS is almost 40 per cent short of staff. Even the city police is deficient of more than 1500 officers.

Also, a Maharashtra government letter to the Centre, sent just 3 days after the 13/7 blasts, underscores the urgency of ammunition supplies with a long list of requirements stuck in red tape. Even the much talked-about CCTV camera network for the city hasn’t been implemented, leaving several crowded places unmonitored. In fact, the Bombay High Court recently lambasted the government’s lax approach to security and lack of action on the Ram Pradhan Panel report.

It said, ’"Imminent danger is writ large. Whatever procedures you adopt, it must be prompt. People would like to know what is the situation at the ground level. After all, it is urgent, sensitive and deals with security of the state."

Post 9/11, USA averted at least 30 terror plots on its soil and private government initiatives became the hallmark of its anti-terror model, the same was recommended by the Pradhan Panel post 26/11, but terming it a classified document, the government has protected it even from public scrutiny.


26/11: Three years on, survivors await Kasab’s execution


Three years after Ajmal Amir Kasab and his accomplices struck the country’s financial capital, the survivors of 26/11 terror attacks are still waiting for the day when the convicted Pakistani gunman will be hanged.

 

"Why is Kasab not hanged yet? What are we waiting for - another 26/11 type horrific attack? Kasab and his accomplices went on a rampage and shook every one of us. Why the government is not doing enough. Whenever I read anything about Kasab it just annoys me," said 13-year-old Devika Rotwa.

On the ill-fated night of November 26, 2008, Devika’s father Natwarlal was waiting at the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) with her and son Akash for a train, when two terrorists opened fire at the railway station.

Shot in the right leg, Devika, who was the youngest eyewitness to depose in the court, had to rely on crutches for a long time.

"I am fine today but still I face difficulty while walking. My studies are going good. But in the last three years, we have shifted our house four times as neighbours often complain and fear for their lives due to our presence," said Devika, who now studies in Class VIII.

For Kalpana Shah, who lost her husband Pankaj in the attacks at The Oberoi Hotel, it has not been easy to forgive and forget.

"I do miss my husband every day. I will miss him throughout my life," said Kalpana, who runs the Tao Art Gallery in Mumbai.

"It has been three years... justice has not been delivered... Kasab is still alive. Justice is getting delayed and lots of money is being wasted on him," she said.

Sentenced to death by a special anti-terror court, Kasab is lodged in a special cell in the city’s Arthur Road jail, the construction of which alone cost the state exchequer over Rs. 5.24 crore.

Bharat Waghela, who owns a chemist shop near Leopold Cafe, one of the first sites to be attacked, lost his brother Subhash on that day. His hope for justice has now stymied.

"I think the Kasab case would go the Afzal Guru way. The same process keeps on getting repeating for every accused and even in this case it’s the same. Even though a special fast-track court was set up, the fate of Kasab is still hanging," Bharat said.

"I do not understand why he has been kept alive even till today. People saw him killing innocents. It is disheartening that he hasn’t been punished for his crime," he said.

Jewish couple - Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and cook Qazi Zakir Hussain alias Jackie, a Muslim, who was there at the Chabad House when two terrorists pulverised the Jewish centre - mourns the death of his employers even as he wonders why Kasab is still around.

"Good people like my employers - the Rabbi and Rivika get killed and the evil ones like Kasab are having a good time in jail at the expense of the common man," Jackie said.

"Even Pakistan has said that Kasab should be hanged, then what are we waiting for," he questioned.