Attack in Ahmedabad: Time to say NO MORE

Most of you must have heard about the attack in Ahmedabad by now… (17 blasts; 15 killed, many injured)

I am NOT going to write about it…

It is time to say NO MORE…

For the next few day(s), I am going to put all my energies and thinking in trying to find an an answer…finding a way to stop this madness…finding a way to offer something more than empty words and condolences to the unfortunate…the maimed and the dead…it could have been me – or you…

My feelings at the moment are summed up in the title of this post I wrote more than 2 years ago, just after the blasts in Varanasi… Anger, tears and despair 

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A Roll Call of Terror:

Dec ’05: New Delhi: Four Years, Two Attacks, One Story 

Mar ’06: Varanasi: Anger, tears and despair 

Jul ’06: Mumbai: Blasts? What Blasts?�Yeh to hota hi rahta hai 

Aug ’07: Hyderabad: Another day, another blast – “Kuch nayee baat batao yaar” 

May ’08: Jaipur: Jihadi attack in Jaipur? 

Jul ’08: Bangalore: Blasts in Bangalore…3 killed already 

B Shantanu

Political Activist, Blogger, Advisor to start-ups, Seed investor. One time VC and ex-Diplomat. Failed mushroom farmer; ex Radio Jockey. Currently involved in Reclaiming India - One Step at a Time.

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17 Responses

  1. Indian says:

    Yes that is what I am going to think. The reason I didnot commented on Banglore blast.

    What can we do? How can we do? are the questions haunting me from this morning.

  2. Dirt Digger says:

    Shantanu,
    The dhimmitude of the UPA government exhibited by its inaction is intolerable. The so called secularism is proving to be the bane of existence of Indians.

  3. Mahesh Patil says:

    This shows the failure of UPA government. And their apathy towards dealing with terror and terrorist groups.

    Answers according to myself if you want this to stop is

    1)Implement POTA, TADA back
    2)Hang Afzal Guru and other such convicted terrorist which will send a strong message across the border.

    Jai Hind! Jai Maharashtra!!

  4. Vidhya says:

    I understand this is frustrating and its getting beyond tolerable limits. I too understand its tough to get anything done, but I am trying to keep some hope alive.

    1. Addressing media irresponsibility:
    Boycotting every news paper, media house , pseudo-sec programs and books, etc for everyone who sympathizes with terrorism and doesnt care about real rights of common human beings. Spread the word to family and friends so that people can start boycotting them. One way to make media pundits think is to choke their income through cable television. Perhaps cable operators can be approached and coerced to cancel such channels – the message is do u want to be the next target of terrorism or do u want our government and media to act! (Media is responsible to make the government work)

    2: Arrange rallies, posters etc against the government- Slogan is “We need our safety of our families and friends – you provide security or you dont get elected”. When people can protest against some cartoon and books, cant we protest demanding security?

    3: Show solidarity with our police and security forces, and show the people support them and not be suspicious of them, make the politicians the common enemy.

    These might not yield results as we like, but sitting quiet isnt yielding anything either. I do trust most Indians are frustrated and live with the fear the next blast could take them or their loved ones away.

  5. B Shantanu says:

    Indian, DirtDigger, Mahesh and Vidhya: Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions…

    I am still composing my thoughts (anger comes in the way)…but more on all this soon…

    Jai Bharat, Jai Hind.

  6. Madhu Shankar says:

    hi shantanu,

    i can understand your anguish in your latest post. i feel it too and so do millions of our patriotic countrymen. but then we also feel so helpless. what do we do when our government is such a deadweight on us. we know they won’t do anything

    i agree it is time to do something useful instead of just talking on the anonymous web. so what do u plan to do?

  7. Suneel says:

    Dear All,

    This is a summary of all recent blasts in India:

    http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/may/20blast.htm

    It does not include most of the earlier ones. Someone was mentioning that after Iraq, India is the most affected country in terms of lives lost and number of incidents.

    Government does not seem to care. Infact the very respected Home Minister on the floor of parliament mentioned that Government cannot ensure the safety and security of each citizen. They have to take care on their own!!!

    Thanks
    Suneel

  8. Ramesh says:

    Yes! this is really getting out of hand, lets make our voice heard:

    http://indianraksa.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/an-open-letter-to-the-prime-minister-of-india-dr-manmohan-singh/

    Let your disapproval be known to the people in power. We must make them realize that they should act swift and hard on Terrorism.

  9. Sridhar says:

    I am sick of this neutered government – miserable 76 year old weakling of a PM, an expensive Military that is being fed to remain inactive, a pathetic Police force that is less organized than terrorists – all hiding behind a 9%GDP growth rate and a billion of us fooling ourselves that we will be the next freaking super power…….

  10. v.c.krishnan says:

    Dear Sir,
    What can one comment. Like Ms. Vidhya states let us call for a JIHAD of our own, boycott the groups which do not accept this way of life as something great for few brownie points.
    I have started it after 2002.
    Regards,
    vck

  11. v.c.krishnan says:

    Dear Sir,
    One of the first steps that the security agencies can take is to implement a Citizen Identification Card.
    let every registered voter, be given a CIC.
    This CIC should be a document that should contain, Name, Date of Birth, Parents name, both father and mother, (DO NOT CARE FOR THE PREDATORS WHO WILL START MAKING CIRCLES AROUND THIS MATTER AS REGARDS SINGLE PARENTS), if there is a single parent the latest mother or father or in other case the names of the fathers of either of the parents!, the place of birth, the state where the person was born, the native language, if he is a person who has settled in a different state for more than twenty years let the person give any language which he feels comfortable with.
    The CIC should be available at all state level police commissioners office and linked to a central computer at a place unkown to except the PM, President the Home Minister, and the chief of RAW/IB.
    The CIC number should be a coded document in itself. That is to say, the CIC number should be decoded through a complex process of alaphanumeric process so that potential threats can be avoided.The location of the server for each individual state should be known only to a top few local police officials and IB officials and the CM and the local HM.
    This can help in isolating members who stray away and will also assist in pin pointing potential danger victims.
    There should be a background document supplementing this CIC with sufficient information kept up to date including Income tax and other banking details which can provide for immediate information on new found money or major expenses.
    By the way this can keep our software industry booming and we can keep a growth rate enviable of the world while protecting ourselves.
    The evil may be reduced but cannot be eliminated as there enough crazy suicide bombers.
    The CIC should be used to buy cars, hire cars or any vehicles including bycycles, (CUT THE BULLSHIT OF BEING A VEHICLE OF THE POOR, purchase of items of more than Rs. 1000 or any sort of such systems can be provided for.
    May be this will take time but in the long run pay for itself.
    Regards,
    vck

  12. Mahesh Patil says:


    GOOD NEWS GOOD NEWS GOOD NEWS FOR TERRORIST and terrorism in India
    ” JAMMU AND KASHMIR GOVT HAS APPROVED A RESOLUTION THAT IF A TERRORIST IS KILLED BY OUR SECURITY FORCES IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR, The terrorist FAMILIES WILL BE COMPENSATED IN FORM OF PENSION OR ONE TIME AMMOUNT ”

    HOW COULD A STATE GOVT GIVE PENSION TO TERRORIST?

    ATS: Anti Terrorist Squad formed in Mumbai is 1990’s brought down crime rate by 70% till 1993… But under the pressure of these socalled saviour groups called “HUMAN RIGHTS”

    ATS HAS TO BECOME ACTIVE AGAIN, WHO CARES OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS of terrorist.
    We want these criminals shot dead
    no trails no investigation just wage a war on terrorist groups.
    Create the hitlist and start hunting them down…
    no need to fill our prison cells with these creatures.

    Get the Encounter specialist back!
    THOKA Salya ANTAKWADIna… BAS THOKA”

    I DONT WISH TO COMMENT ANYTHING on J&K politicians
    and their terrorist appeasement law… cause i am lost of word…

    I dont understand why Media has glorified Omar Abdullah’s parliament speech so much “hamari zamin ka mudda tha hamare zamin kay liya marte dam tak ladhenge”… when they launched attacks after attacks on Raj Thackeray when he talks of Marathi and space in Mumbai?..

    Jai Hind! Jai Maharashtra!!

  13. B Shantanu says:

    Madhu, Suneel, Ramesh and vck: Thanks for your sharing your thoughts…

    @ vck: yes, having a database is definitely worth considering…I have included this in the post that I am writing about what our response should be.

    @ Mahesh: Can you pl. provide the link to the Jammu and Kashmir news item?

    More on this soon…

    In the meantime, I find the increasing sophistication of these attacks very worrying:

    NEW DELHI: Gujarat continues to remain tense a day after 18 bombs were defused in Surat.

    The state administration has called for a bandh on Wednesday following the panic that spread across the city on Tuesday.

    Much to the relief of the city’s administration, none of the bombs exploded and were all defused in time. Police had imposed a virtual curfew in and around Varacha area, where most of the bombs were found.

    Forensic experts in Surat say that the reason the 18 bombs planted in the city by terrorists did not explode is because there was a technical flaw in the integrated circuits wired in them.

    For the first time ICs have been used in explosive devices, say experts. [ link ]

  14. v.c.krishnan says:

    *** COMMENT COMBINED ***

    Dear Sir,
    Let us now ask the human Rights to F****** off and take action. If they do not like it lump it. If they take us to court let us face the punishment for fighting for our lives. How many people can the Jails hold. How long do you think will the HRC be able to fight a determined peoples determination to survive and leave a better world for their progeny’s?
    How long will the people tolerate an illegimate thought of protecting Terrorism in the guise of human rights. The HRC’s Rights will be extinguished if determined people rise up agianst an illegal act of the HRC where it supports terrorists in the guise of HR’s.
    Let us take it to the people. Let us keep them informed of these illegal acts.
    I am not agains HR’s but I am against a biased HR’s.
    Let us wake up to the terror of terrorism and the terror of biased HR’s .
    Let us start a WAR aginst all biased HR organisations. If it is white then all human rights come into play; when it is black then all HR’s are lost in words and unwritten bias.
    In today’s news it is highlighted that a there is a British Law — Read as White man’s thought– that is being considered where pre mediated murder of a person causing harm to another will not be considered “MURDER”.
    Whither HR!!!!

    ***

    Dear Sir,
    Mr. Mahesh is living in a world of his own,. Is he living in MARS? Omar abdullah is a muslim and Shri Raj Thackerey is Hindu and you are living in India.
    Shri. Mahesh ought to understand that a Hindu has less rights in India than any other place in the world.
    WAKE UP Shri. Mahesh.

    ***

    Regards,
    vck

  15. Mahesh Patil says:

    @ shantanu
    I did not get this information from online websites but from Sahara samay channel show hosted by Rajiv Bajaj.
    I had this info couple of months back through word of mouth but yesterdays i.e. 29th July 2008 RKB show @ 8pm, it got confirmed that the resolution has been passed

    Still i manage to search two links in google related to
    J&K govt providing pension schemes to dead terrorist families.

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/1943301/Family-pension-for-Muslim-Terrorists-in-Kashmir-and-Christian-Terrorists-in-NE

    http://10venu05.blogspot.com/2008/07/in-india-govt-rewards-families-of.html

    Jai Hind! Jai Maharashtra!!

  16. B Shantanu says:

    Mahesh: Thanks.

    Pl. also see my latest post…which talks about “aid package” for families of terrorists…

    What next? Aid package for families of Pakistani soldiers killed fighting on LOC, I wonder..

    🙁

  17. vinay says:

    *** COMMENT COMBINED ***

    how about subsidizing AK47s? 🙂

    ***

    Has anyone saw SwordFish?, It has an excellent message “striking terror into terrorists” maybe we should plan something similar.