Security at Gunpoint!

Gandhinagar, Sep 24, 2002: 34 people killed in the attack on the Akshardham temple
Mumbai, Aug 25, 2003: 46 people killed in two blasts including one near the Gateway of India
New Delhi, Oct 29, 2005: 61 people killed in three blasts on the eve of Diwali
Varanasi, March 7, 2006: 21 people killed in three blasts including one at a temple and another at a railway station
Mumbai, July 11, 2006: 209 people killed in seven blasts on suburban trains and stations
Malegaon, Maharashtra, Sep 8, 2006: 40 people killed in two blasts
Samjhauta Express, Feb 19, 2007: 66 people killed after two firebombs went off on the India-Pakistan friendship train
Hyderabad, Aug 25, 2007: 42 people killed in two blasts, at a popular eatery and a public park.
Jaipur, May 13, 2008: 68 people killed in serial bombings
Ahmedabad, July 26, 2008: 57 people killed after 20-odd synchronised bombs went off within less than two hours
New Delhi, Sep 13, 2008: 26 people killed in six blasts across the city
Malegaon, Maharashtra, Sep 29, 2008: Five people died after a bomb kept in a motorbike went off in a crowded market
Kanpur, Oct 14, 2008: Eight people injured after bomb planted on a rented bicycle went off Colonelganj market
Assam, Oct 30, 2008: At least 45 killed (figure can change) and over 100 injured in 18 terror bombings across Assam and the most recent of all.....
Mumbai, Nov 26, 2008:Over 100 killed and many more injured in seven terror attacks targetting posh hotels in the upmarket area of South Mumbai

One look at this list and you would know that the big bad boys have spread terror across the length and breadth of the country. Boy! what a gory track record...talks volumes about the level of security in India. Today, there's just one question on people's mind...how many terror attacks is it going to take for our Government to avert such crises on the aam junta? "The Spirit of Mumbai", "Mumbai's resilience" etc etc are mere cliches and nothing else! People come here to earn their bread and butter and let's face it this spirit of Mumbai that we keep glofirying all the time is more of a shield to conceal our helplessness. Getting back to business post terror attacks is nothing but a Hobson's choice, really.

The sheer magnitude of these heinous acts is constantly on the rise and unless some serious measures are taken, we would be in for even worse nightmares. Can we afford that?

The past four days have been so disturbing that I have woken up with a headache and then hit the bed at night again with a headache. This entire Taj/Oberoi/Nariman episode was downright infernal...it is surely going to leave indelible marks on many lives..(of course politicians excluded). So here's why I say it's about time you (read politicians) woke up from your innate slumber...it's time to act and bring the criminals to book, to fortify security across the country and to make people's votes count.

There's loads to write about when we are talking terrorism and this is going to reflect soon, in the posts to follow.
I end this post with "Kudos to Mumbaikars for their spirit" but it's a pity see that Bombay still bleeds!