It's Mumbai in the news. Once again for the terror unleashed on innocents in the city. Bomb blasts in the crowded places have ripped apart the law and order. The metro is atop a volcano. People, as earlier, feel scared. The tragedy has once more triggered a huge debate about the safety of an aam aadmi. What is really shocking in the whole episode is the way lives are getting lost. Whatever the interpretation, nothing can explain the reason behind such acts which result in bloodshed and horror. It has happened in the past too and it continues to happen. More than panic in the city, it sets off a ripple in the media circles. This is the moment where the whole institution of media holds a huge responsibility not to fan the flames. No doubt, attacks like these have imperiled the very life of an individual who is hardly concerned about the political bargaining happening at a bigger level. The rage against the security system of the state too is grounded in reality. In a fear-ridden atmosphere, one can only expect anger from those who have lost their dears. But there a cause of worry which merits to be addressed.
Enough, they say, is enough. But who says it and to whom? Media projects Mumbaikars as a group of endangered people as if it's this city targeted in particular. Sure Mumbai has experienced the worse in the past. The wounds of 26/11 are still fresh in the hearts and minds of the people. The concerns about the safety of human beings is genuine, but the whole debate can't be reduced to a battle of words between a the citizens of the metropolis and the law enforcing machinery. The very ubiquity of terror has rendered the whole argument of system failure invalid. Pakistan is a living example of that. The entire nation peopled by peace-loving citizens can't do anything except facing the fury of a fringe. The way these violent groups operate leave hardly anything for the government to do. It's really surprising to see young boys and girls being asked questions about their role in saving their city from being attacked. Some media professionals even contemplate arming citizens who can combat those who plant bombs in the crowded city. Making citizens conscious of their security is good, but recruiting them to fight a band of bomb-planters is a piece of wild imagination. Will that be possible on the ground or will that mean fighting chaos with chaos. The idea of militarizing a society to combat some non-state actors has proved devastating everywhere it was executed. Measures to fight terror must be practicable. An indiscriminate infusion of a combative ideology in the citizenry can only add to the violence. They say how to ensure it doesn't happen again. But who can ensure that and how? Such things are beyond anyone's control and power. Only a change at a bigger level can make things better. Of course, a fool proof security system in place can minimize the possibility of such incidents, but can't `ensure' that it doesn't happen.
We are living in terrible times. Normal security methods to protect lives have failed. Though that never means state has to let its people die like flies. But we must not forget that modern day terror is like a rainfall. The ground below can experience a change only if there is a change up in the skies.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 IST