The Bleeding And Wailing Common Man

     Event's as these (terror attacks) targeting the innocent, unsuspecting civilians, remind me of an ugly game played by the British Army Officers during the colonial era. A full grown swine would be let in a closed room full of army officers who would try to poke their swords into the anus of the animal. As the animal retaliated other officers would try to distract it in the same manner from the other end. Soon the animal would be running all around, bleeding profusely and wailing in pain, seeking cover, only to be pursued by the men in uniforms, like a pack of hungry wolves, who would rest only after the animal had collapsed and bled to death! Is the suffering of the common man any different from that of the swine bleeding profusely, wailing in pain and seeking cover? And are the corrupt and the exploitative class any different from the officers seeking beastly pleasures? Infact, a second thought will reveal that the officers were far better than the later since they targeted an animal whereas the later target their own kind!

     During my recent visit to Dubai, I was surprised by the kind of surveillance the tiny Emirate has, especially at the places of public utility. And this becomes all the more important considering the fact that the Emirate has yet to see terrorist activity of any sorts! Well built, alert, polite and assisting, the Dubai police will seldom leave you unimpressed! Mumbai, on the other hand, witnessed its first gruesome terror attack in 1993. The attack targeting prime locations in Mumbai, left hundreds dead and several more maimed for life - to die a new death every coming day, proving that Mumbai and its inhabitants were far more vulnerable than they had ever imagined. The success of the terror attack was unarguably due the absence or the compromised surveillance which was never beefed up even in the wake of such threats. The direct result of this was another terror attack, this time on local trains – the life line of Mumbai, on 11^th July 2006 and then the terror attack that targeted The Taj and The Trident Hotels in Mumbai along with the Chhabad House on 26^th November 2009 followed by the recent terror attack on 13^th July 2011, where thousands of innocents again lost their lives. The reason often touted for this shortfall is the shortage of manpower faced by the Police Department. But then the Police are never to be found at places where they should be found and are more than often found at places where they should never be found. And this is more so at times when surveillance is badly needed. In the backdrop of such tragic events the Government unfailingly requests the citizens to be patient and peaceful. That's all it has been doing promptly over the years since 1993. But then how does one convince aging parents who lost their only college going son to a terror attack that was a direct outcome of callous approach of the Government to be patient? It took eighteen long years, nearly two decades, for the judiciary to pronounce its verdict in 1993 bombing case. How many of the victims of 1993 bombings or their kins survived to see the day? Isn't justice delayed justice denied? Don't they know that Peace is not merely absence of war/conflict/struggle but prevalence of justice and equality?And if it is so then isn't the Government indulging in mockery of justice and equality??

• Bhushan Sarmalkar (JAI)