More bomb blasts in Mumbai. Considering they were RELATIVELY low-level, I fear if this is a forerunner of worse things to come. The crucial question? How can this be stopped?
Many people here compare the condition between India and the US, specifically the fact that after 9/11, the US has successfully prevented more attacks. Well, the stories of these two countries are entirely different. The US does not have home grown terrorists like India does...and as for the differences in systems organization and population...I really need not say anything.
The way I see it there's only two ways this situation can be resolved. The really ideal, Gandhian way would be to engage the darn militants in peace dialogues and cause a change of heart....I better stop dreaming!
The other way as I see it...train the citizens for some kind of citizen watch. Let's be realistic, India is too vast and crowded and multicultural and contradictory and unpredictable for us to rely solely on police protection systems. Considering how easy it is for people to just disappear in the crowded streets and by lanes of cities like Mumbai, there is no other solution. It is not enough for citizens to simply be alert...especially when you don't know what form the next attack may take. People need to know what to look out for and where and how to respond if someone or something appears suspicious.
The logistics of organizing a citizen watch program may seem incredibly complex...but honestly, what other choices do we have? If it were only a question of preventing outsiders from coming in, it would have been a different matter...when the madmen are either from this country or can pass off as Indians very easily, how can they be apprehended without proactive citizen help?
Another thing...pay and train the poor cops...it's foolish to expect a house cat to do a tiger's work! For instance, when I found out the pittance of a pay that our traffic cops who spend hours on these insanely crowded, polluted city roads under this harsh sun get...I had to appreciate them for being smart enough to figure out the entire bribing system...(Who pays how much for what!...long back I once had a cop who first inquired what my monthly pay was before asking for a "fine")...so they can also live a comfortable life. They even have to chuck the crappy cloth they get towards making their uniforms and end up spending their own money to get good stuff!! Not to say all cops are helpless victims of the system of course...but still...!
