Lessons we need to learn, questions we need to ask

[mekin]

 I hope now on government/military disallow all live coverage of any *live* mission conducted by security forces AND LET THE SECURITY FORCES RUN THE SHOW. They are putting their lives in danger - and everyone else needs to do whatever is best for their operation.
Definitely not pressurize them with constant questioning about plans, strategy &

Comments

[adarsh_bhat]

For one, I think we can all be a bit more paranoid, a lot more cautious, and not ignore any suspicious behaviour.

There is something to watch out for before making this an official policy. Fact is, this policy has completely failed in the United States and has led to nothing more than fear psychosis among the general public. Today, when we are united in accusing our intelligence agencies of being clueless, how can we expect the common citizen to be better equipped at identifying terror threats?

Please read this piece by security expert Bruce Schneier about how things have turned out in the United States:

The war on the unexpected
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/the_war_on_the.html

[mekin]

I agree & I should probably reword that piece.

But the difference I see is this line from the essay:

People have always come forward to tell the police when they see something genuinely suspicious, and should continue to do so.

I do not think, this happens in India. We have the "chalta hai" attitude to everything. All interactions with police & security are deemed as best avoided.

Like with general security, I would think erring on the right side is better than not knowing or not being warned about an actual threat.

I understand, what I am saying will slow us down. I remember the hoax calls days after the small blasts in Bangalore, that brought companies to a stand still.

There is no replacement for well informed & intelligent security forces that can decide about the level of threat and the escalation needed.

[mekin]

I agree with what jagadish posted. Quoting him here:

There is a need to inculcate an understanding of being watchful without being hyper-sensitive. CNN-IBN reported yesterday that a grocer around Nariman House said that some folks he'd not seen in the area earlier had bought 50,000 worth provisions from him in the last few days. Things like that should make you perk up and go to the police. Do what you have to do. If the police doesn't respond, then you could choose to go to a higher authority or drop the ball altogether. But individuals must do their bit.

[adarsh_bhat]

I see your point, Mekin. But what this grocer has allegedly said makes little sense. That could have been any one who bought groceries. Think about it. And why would these terrorists need 50,000 worth of groceries? There is a high probability that it really could have been someone arranging for a wedding who bought the stuff. But the way its going to turn out, when you or I try to arrange a wedding for real and buy groceries, we may suddenly find the police on our trail.

[rileen]

I agree that you did get carried away to begin with, but it provoked many interesting comments (and you did return to sanity with commendable speed and maturity :-) ).

I guess India can learn from the U.S in terms of what it did outside as well as inside its own borders - only, the former to avoid, and some of the latter, perhaps to emulate.

I don't have any concrete ideas about what we the people can do beyond what's already been discussed here, but I do feel the need for an international campaign stressing that killing innocents is non-debatably wrong which is global in nature, and reaches all corners of the earth. How to make it happen is another question altogether :-|

Restraint on the border

[oldpondfrog]

In the big picture we can do more with help from across the border than we can ever do sitting in India

IMO the ratcheting up of the anti-Pak rhetoric is disturbing. After listening to Zardari it seems like it might be an real oppurtunity to work with a democratic govt constructively for a change. After all its very existence hinges on getting rid of insurgents, admittedly on its Western border and not the LeT types.

I am all for giving these chaps a chance despite the innate cynicism we have against them. The last thing we need is a premature war against a potential ally.

BTW when I briefly tuned into Paki TV stations there is a serious fear in the air that India might be gearing up to strike.

Turn off the TV

[anonymous]

While I was following the reports of the Mumbai attacks via the web and on newspaper, it really helped that I don't have a TV at home. So, when I'd get back home, I simply did not have a chance to look at the crappy 24x7 news coverage.
Also, revealing the identity of Commandos is not a great idea. For example, my Father-in-law, a retired army officer, served in Sri Lanka and Op Bluestar. But, back then, there were strict ruling prohibiting the media from revealing their identities. It is said that LTTE was targetting many Indian army officers who served in Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately, we are living in an increasingly voyeuristic society, which either slumbers through life, or lives through a series of knee-jerk reactions.

K