Lessons From Terror
The terror season is back, again. After the infamous 9/11 terror strikes on US soil, terrorists targeted a marathon in Boston which claimed at least two lives and left over a hundred injured. Nearer home, in the IT hub of Bangalore, terror revisited leaving some 16 hurt after suspected Indian Mujahedeen struck hours before the Indian Premier League T20 cricket match.
As against the Boston attack which was aimed at maximizing casualty and publicity, the Bangalore blast was aimed at instilling fear, though the publicity of injured/dead as a result of such action is always welcomed by terrorists. Terrorism during sporting events is not uncommon, with strikes even during the Olympics and World Cup. Terrorists target such sports events primarily because of its prominence on the international stage. In 2008, Tamil Tigers detonated a bomb in Sri Lanka at a marathon outside Colombo, killing 14 people and injuring 83. The attack was a successful assassination attempt on a Lankan minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. Between 1998-2005, the IRA repeatedly targeted the Belfast marathon, and once claimed the late Margaret Thatcher had to be lucky every time (to escape assassination) , while they had to be lucky once! In 2006, Pakistan faced a violent attack on a marathon in Lahore. Likewise, marathon runners in Bahrain were targeted in 1994. A few extremist Islamic groups target sporting events because they see sports teams as a threat to the strict religious identities they are trying to force on others. Sporting venues in general however are an attraction to terrorists because of the ire it generates when innocent victims are killed.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
In the aftermath of the Bangalore blast, it was surprising that politicians who ought to have come together to condemn the blast ~ were involved in a verbal duel with a Congress party leader who said that since the blast was near the BJP office, it would surely help the BJP in the Assembly election.
Both blasts point to intelligence failure and the inability of the system to ward off these acts. This, despite various governments having faced the menace for decades. Similar to the recent Bangalore blast ~ which occurred exactly three years after twin explosions at Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city centre ~ there have been several such explosions elsewhere which coincided with earlier terror attacks. On April 17, 2010, two low-intensity bombs went off about an hour before the start of the Royal Challengers Bangalore-Mumbai Indians match, injuring 15 people. Isn’t it appropriate for security agencies to be wary of busy streets during such notorious anniversaries? Strangely, after the terror strike, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a terror alert in major cities including Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, but these alerts were not backed up by additional paramilitary troops even in regions hit by terror attacks.
There have been over 2000 terrorist attacks in the US between 1970 and 2011, less than two percent of which have caused more than ten casualties. This has given rise to increased security and people in general have grown accustomed to security checks at sporting events, where fans are often not allowed to bring in bags, and when belongings are needed and eventually permitted, they are subjected to a thorough scan before being allowed into the stadium.
One can be sure that US law keepers will learn more about what happened in Boston and it will only be a matter of time before security plans are improvised. In India however, we have failed to strengthen our security by building a strong network of vigilance as well as intelligence.
Worse, there’s no unity on fighting terror among politicians who are quick to make claims, while the underpaid and exploited policeman is left to face the brunt on the ground. This sadly, is the Indian reality.
