Mumbai Burns Under Terror

Following are some excerpts from the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s address to the Nation.

”The dastardly terror attacks that took place in Mumbai last night and today leading to the loss of many precious lives and injuries to many others have deeply shocked the nation. I strongly condemn these acts of senseless violence against innocent people, including guests from foreign countries. I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and sympathies to those injured. The Government will take all necessary measures to look after the wellbeing of the affected families, including medical treatment of injured.

The well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic, by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners.

I salute the courage and patriotism of the police officers, including the Chief of the Anti-Terror Squad, Shri Hemant Karkare and men who have laid down their lives in fighting these terrorists. I assure the country that we will attend in an urgent and serious manner to police reform so that the law and order authorities can work unitedly, effectively and in a determined manner to tackle such threats to national integrity.

We are not prepared to countenance a situation in which the safety and security of our citizens can be violated with impunity by terrorists.

We will take the strongest possible measures to ensure that there is no repetition of such terrorist acts. We are determined to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and security of our citizens.

We will take up strongly with our neighbors that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us will not be tolerated, and that there would be a cost if suitable measures are not taken by them. We will take a number of measures to strengthen the hands of our police and intelligence authorities. We will curb the flow of funds to suspect organizations. We will restrict the entry of suspects into the country. We will go after these individuals and organizations and make sure that every perpetrator, organizer and supporter of terror, whatever his affiliation or religion may be, pays a heavy price for these cowardly and horrific acts against our people.

In this hour of tragedy, I appeal to the people to maintain peace and harmony so that the enemies of our country do not succeed in their nefarious designs. All concerned authorities are on alert and will deal sternly with any attempts to disturb public order.
I am confident that the people of India will rise unitedly to face this grave challenge to the nation’s security and integrity.”

I just wish to ask how do our ‘dear’ ministers who sit themselves comfortably with ‘Z’ level security; plan to combat such terrorist acts and ensure security and safety of its citizens. I used this ‘address’ by the PM as a beginning, because I don’t know why but all the time anyone, in any occasion goes to address the nation, it sounds so high on words and so low on emotions.

World hasn’t slept for last 24 hours as Mumbai is engulfed in the worst ever night-marish situation seen in the country.

I, a resident of Delhi, myself have been following this story through various national and regional (Delhi-based) media like Radio, News channels, websites, etc. and I still feel the shock of the situation. I don’t want to say I can sympathize, because I don’t want to decrease or demean the emotions of people who are facing this experience first hand. But yes I can say I feel a sense of empathy, every time I watch the coverage. This is no other world experience, this time it has inflicted us right in heart and what’s more that its not a “come-destroy-leave” situation this time around. This time they wound is still bleeding as the weapon of destruction is still present there in Mumbai.

We all know that life in Mumbai has come to a stand still. Our country has been besieged once again by terrorists and not just that ‘they’ are still here….in one of our own State…in homes of our national brethren.

Civilian casualties have reached more than 130, with around 800-900 being injured. At the time of submitting this article, Mumbai was still burning (literally and metaphorically) under terror & end seemed still near the sight.

People of Mumbai are no longer satisfied with clichés on their ‘stoic spirit’ and ‘resilience’ (as I noticed in the variety of celeb and general public interviews taken by news channels throughout the day). They want answers. They want to know why it happens to them.

As Shobha De, eminent writer, remarked in an interview, “we pay millions of rupees for security of our ministers and providing them Z security but where are they….” She also remarked that all our prominent ministers could do were give ‘slow’ and ‘lackluster’ speeches.

Noticeably though in time of adversity is the heroic stories of our brave security officers (Police, NSG, ATS, Millitary, Navy, etc) who are all working together and trying to free Mumbai from its nightmare. More than 15 officials have been reported dead so far, including the three most prominent Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar and Ashok Kamte. Heroism also is shown by the staff members of both Taj Mahal and Oberoi. Many of them have given up their lives even while trying to get their hotel guests out of harms way.

Terrorist have turned the iconic architectural marvel, Taj Mahal hotel, into a warzone. It’s a place with which almost every Mumbaikar and tourist has a story attached to. Now the place is being shattered piece by piece with gun shots, grenades and raging fire.

Our hearts, minds, prayers and empathy goes to Mumbai and its people. Mumbai was still burning under terror & end seemed still near the sight.

Ex-PM, VP Singh; dies

Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 - 27 November 2008) was the 10^th Prime Minister of India. V.P.Singh died after a long struggle with Blood cancer and renal failure in Apollo Hospital on 27 November 2008

V. P. Singh entered local politics in Allahabad during the Nehru era. He soon made a name for himself in the state Congress Party for his unfailing rectitude, a reputation that he would carry with him throughout his career.

He was appointed by Indira Gandhi as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1980, when the Congress came back to power after the Janata Party interregnum. As CM, he cracked down hard on the dacoity, or banditry, problems, which were particularly severe in the rural districts of the south-west. He received much favorable national publicity when he offered to resign following a self-professed failure to stamp out the problem, and again when he personally oversaw the surrender of some of the most feared dacoits of the area in 1983.

Called to the Centre following Rajiv Gandhi's massive mandate in the 1984 General elections, he was appointed to the pivotal post of Finance Minister, where he oversaw the gradual relaxation of the license Raj as Rajiv Gandhi had in mind. During his term as Finance Minister, he oversaw the reduction of gold smuggling by reducing gold taxes and the excellent tactic of giving the police a portion of the smuggled gold that they found. He also gave extraordinary powers to the Enforcement Directorate of the Finance Ministry, the wing of the ministry charged with tracking down tax evaders.

Following a number of high-profile raids on suspected evaders Rajiv Gandhi was forced to sack him as Finance Minister, possibly because many of the raids were conducted on industrialists who had supported the Congress financially in the past.

He was then given a sideways shift to Defence Ministry. Singh began to investigate the notoriously murky world of defence procurement. After a while, word began to spread that Singh possessed information about the Bofors defence deal that could damage the Prime Minister's reputation. Before he could act on it, he was dismissed from the Cabinet and, in response, resigned his memberships in the Congress Party and the Lok Sabha.

On 11 October 1988, the Janata Dal was formed by merger of Jan Morcha, Janata Party, Lok Dal and Congress (S), in order to bring together all the centrist parties opposed to the Rajiv Gandhi government, and V. P. Singh was elected the President of the Janata Dal.

A federation of the Janata Dal with various regional parties including the DMK, TDP, and AGP, came into being, called the National Front (India), with V. P. Singh as convener and N. T. Rama Rao as President.

The National Front fought the elections in 1989 after coming to an electoral understanding with the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Left Front that served to unify the anti-Congress vote. The National Front, with its allies, earned a simple majority in the Lok Sabha and decided to form a government.

V. P. Singh had been clearly projected by the anti-Congress forces as the 'clean' alternative to Rajiv and their Prime Ministerial candidate. He was then elected and he held office for slightly less than a year, from December 2, 1989 - November 10, 1990.

Singh himself wished to move forward nationally on social justice-related issues, which would in addition consolidate the caste coalition that supported the Janata Dal in North India, and accordingly decided to implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission which suggested that a fixed quota of all jobs in the public sector be reserved for members of the historically disadvantaged so-called Other Backward Classes.

At the same time, BJP was moving its own agenda forward: in particular, the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, which served as a rallying cry for several radical Hindu organisations, took on new life. The party president, Lal Krishna Advani, toured the northern states on a rath - a bus converted to look like a mythical chariot - with the intention of drumming up support. Before he could complete the tour by reaching the disputed site in Ayodhya, he was arrested on Singh's orders on the charges of disturbing the peace and fomenting communal tension. This led to the BJP's suspension of support to the National Front government. V. P. Singh faced the vote of confidence saying that he occupied the high moral ground, as he stood for secularism, had saved the Babri Masjid at the cost of power and had upheld the fundamental principles which were challenged during the crises; `What kind of India do you want?', he asked of his opponents of various shades in Parliament before losing the vote 142-346; only the portion of the National Front remaining loyal to him (see below) and the Left front supported him in the vote.

Singh decided against contesting the new elections and retired from active politics. He spent the next few years touring the country speaking about matters related to issues of social justice and his artistic pursuits, chiefly painting. Singh acted as a sort of elder statesman and adviser for the successors to the National Front coalition. In 1992, Singh was the first to propose the name of the future President K. R. Narayanan as a (eventually successful) candidate for Vice President. Later the same year in December, he led his followers to Ayodhya to oppose the Kar seva proposed by L. K. Advani, and was arrested before he could reach the site; the Masjid was demolished by the kar sevaks a few days later.

He was diagnosed with cancer in 1998 and ceased his public appearances. Though he did make a few appearances off and on in the country’s politics but none withstood his previous style and political vigor.

Hemant Karkare: A Hero Dies

The last television visuals of the 54-year-old officer showed him in a light blue shirt and dark trousers surrounded by uniformed policemen armed with firearms and walkie-talkies. He wore a helmet, talked on his cellphone and finally put on a bullet-proof jacket before he met his deathly fate in the country's biggest terror seize.

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, suffered three bullet injuries in his chest, as he was leading the offensive against the terrorists at Mumbai's Taj Hotel against terrorists on Wednesday.

Mr. Karkare, who was the 1982 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, held a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Vishveshvarayya Regional Engineering in Nagpur. He also served in the Naxalite-infested Chandarpur area of the state. He became the head of ATS in January this year following his return to the state cadre after serving seven years in Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Austria.

One of the brightest officers, Karkare had solved the serial bomb blasts in Thane, Vashi and Panvel and was also credited for the stunning revelations in the investigation of the September 29 blast in Malegaon.

As ATS Chief he was also involved in the Malegaon blast probe which was subject to a lot of criticism by many Hindu organizations.

During the Malegaon investigation, Karkare had told his officers not to create false evidence, saying, "We should do our job and it is for the court to decide." Incidentally, the Pune ATS on November 26 reportedly received phone calls threatening to blow up the residence of Karkare "within a couple of days".

In his last interview to a television channel on Wednesday, he referred to getting the custody of Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, and said "police custody would have helped investigations to proceed faster but still we will see how best to deal with it in a legal way".

When asked about criticism levelled by BJP leaders especially, L K Advani's outbursts against the agency, Karkare said "when allegations are made anyone (we) will feel hurt." He rejected charges of the Sadhvi being tortured during police custody.

As he now rests in peace, people come out in streets in Pune, where he is being cremated on Thursday afternoon, to offer their reverence to a courageous officer. He was known for his discipline and fair investigation. He was well respected in Police as well as Media circuits. His brave act of fighting the terrorists ended in tragedy. This incident seems to be a great amount of loss for Maharashtra and Indian Police forces; he will always be remembered for his brave and courageous acts of both his investigations as well as his active role in offensive attacks against terrorism.

(Inputs from PTI).

Mumbai rocked with terror

Mumbai was rocked by several incidents of firing at four different public places on Wednesday night. All incidents were within a radius of three kms in the posh South Mumbai.
At the time of the filing this report, 3 people were dead and more than 25 were injured.
Details are sketchy but it is believed that groups fired outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) Railway Terminus, Hotel Oberoi, the popular Café Leopold restaurant and Cama Hospital all in south Mumbai.
No one including the police will confirm the reason behind the firing except the fact that some unknown people started firing indiscriminately.
Eyewitness also said that some grenades were thrown at a police van and also of two bomb blasts near the Oberoi hotel but it was not confirmed by officials.
The Mumbai police have cordoned off all the areas. A blast was also reported in Vile Parle in suburban Mumbai. Eyewitnesses said that they heard at least 20 shots in CST station. Policemen and ambulances have rushed to the affected areas, they said.
A resident of Colaba and an eyewitness to some of the incidents said, "The police got news that there were explosions at the BMC headquarters in Lion Gate in South Mumbai. When the police arrived, the gangsters/terrorists fired at the police. As the police started chasing them towards the CST station, they opened indiscriminate fire."
In reports by given by news channels it has been stated that, two persons armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades are reportedly holding up inside CST stations. Sounds of gunshots are still being heard. Hundreds of onlookers gathered outside the station. The station and premises has been evacuated. It has also been reported that the five-star Hotel Oberoi is under siege and gunmen are reported to have held the occupants hostage.
It seems to be a new modus operandi has been adopted by the strikers to rock the city and its law and order in a new way. Struggles of mumbaikars, for peace and security seem to be far from over. After a phase of month’s long internal political crisis it is now terrorism that takes them again into a bad nightmare.

Quami Ekta Week: a relief to recent events

Quami Ekta Week: a relief to recent events

Quami Ekta Week (National Integration Week) is to begin from today (Nov 19-25), and Home Minister Shivraj Patil has written to different Ministries under Government of India for organsing programmes/events fitting the occasion.
Every year is observed with a view to fostering and re-inforcing the spirit of communal harmony, national integration and pride in our vibrant composite culture and nationhood.

In a press release issued by Ministry of Home affairs it was said that several programmes, with a specific theme on each of the seven days, will be held during this week. Meetings, symposia, seminars, special literary functions, cultural functions and programmes would be organized to highlight themes under focus. The week would begin with National Integration Pledge. National Integration, Welfare of Minorities, Linguistic Harmony, Weaker Section, Cultural Unity and Environment Conservation are the themes for the week and activities related to a specific theme would be under focus on each day.

This ‘special week’ seems to be coming at a very strategic time this year, as the recent developments in various parts of the country have shaken a considerable faith of people in the idea of ‘ekta or integration’. It seems that there is a need to take all possible measures for dissemination and reaffirmation of these values among all sections of our people.

Social Networking: Beyond Personal Space

Social Networking sites do more than just connecting you to your old and new friends, exposing you to dangers of privacy in personal space, and opening avenues to a number of cyber crimes; these sites now help you in your career side too. Communities created on sites like ‘Orkut’ and ‘Pagalguy.com’, etc now help you to crack exams, answer your queries related to choices of courses, colleges and specializations, etc. communities like “crack CAT exams” etc have been of great help to many CAT aspirants, who are now able to put up questions to a wider audience and receive answers from diverse perspectives. Also those who have cleared the exams before or are practicing professionals from the field are able to guide these aspirants quite successfully.

Students from various fields, courses, colleges, create communities where perspective student can get in touch with experienced seniors and seek their advice. These sites give an informal yet impersonal space for interaction among seniors and juniors of institutes.
Often professors and instructors drop-by on these sites in order to interact with their students in a more personalized environment and even take up questions and queries of aspirants and perspective students.

I know that most of us might have used the social networking websites to connect with our seniors and college at an interpersonal level, when we were planning to enter any new college. It not only helped us in cracking the entrance exams, and in understanding the college and the course better, but also in contacting our seniors (for notes and guidance).

So next time you wish to give the social networking site a pass as another interference with personal space, then remember that it goes much beyond that. Social networking helps you in making informed decisions on your career and other choices. They help you in preparing to crack important exams and move to a professional space.