My reaction to #mumbai: Let us stop digging our own grave

We are all shocked and sad about the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai. The knee jerk reaction is to blame how weak the UPA government is, in handling terrorism. The saffron brigade's drumroll of POTA will start once again.

India's broken window syndrome

Do we realize how inept India is? People are losing their lives to terrorism, and we are rightfully concerned. India's efforts to prevent terrorism and response to such attacks are typical of how India is. Do potholes get fixed? Don't you have to run from pillar to post to get a plain old telephone connection? We can't even ensure that citizens obey traffic rules. Why do we pretend new laws and mechanisms will magically do a better job? Anyone who wants to be safer from terrorism should fix these broken windows first.

Human rights and the rule of law

In India, we do not seem to care about individual liberties. Why have we forgotten that a famous politician was arrested under POTA, all for making a speech? Is this how we want the state's resources to be spent? If this is what happens to the high and mighty, what about the oppressed and the poor?

Recently, the Andhra Pradesh government admitted that it had tortured innocent Muslim youths after the twin blasts in Hyderabad. The government is now going to compensate them monetarily. There are two things to consider here. One, these detainees were not produced before a magistrate as required by "rule of law." The government should rightfully compensate them for their mistake. Second, these detainees were tortured. We pretend to have a just system. Why is there no criminal action?

Contrast this with the reaction in Australia to Dr. Mohamed Haneef's arrest. When Australian authorities held Dr. Haneef without charge, there were protests against the arrest.

Digging our own grave

Do we realize how we unknowingly nurture terrorism and do nothing about it? We individuals, organizations, and political parties openly have contempt for others we do not consider their own. Is an aggressive response any surprise? Raj Thackeray and his goons' xenophobia towards north Indians will likely come back to haunt Maharashtra and India. We as a society are now watering this plant and letting it take root. Won't the recent clashes between Hindu and Christian groups breed more radicals on both sides? Thousands of Muslims were murdered in Godhra. Isn't there going to be some violent repercussion? I could go on and on, but I think I made my point.