November 26th will remain etched in contemporary Indian history for all the wrong reasons. Terrorists – young men barely out of their teens, looking like backpackers forced their way into the country via The Gateway of India and held a city hostage. That night, terrorism had taken to the streets and how. From a railway station to a hospital, a restaurant and luxury hotels, they hit 10 spots in under 2 hours, mercilessly spraying bullets from their AK 47s on anything that moved. Every gunshot that was heard created anxiety in the minds of the families of the hostages at The Taj Mahal Hotel , Nariman House and The Trident-Hilton. Respite somehow came only after 60 hours when the last of the terrorist was gunned down by the NSG commandos at The Taj. But it hasn’t ended yet. The terrorists have left a billion people paranoid and looking over their shoulders today. Indians will be haunted by these images for many days to come, even whilst the streets of Mumbai are being mopped up.
An unknown group, initially callin
g itself ‘The Deccan Mujahideen’ managed to shake up a nation. They were, however, later found to be members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a banned terrorist organization. It is time we wake up from our slumber – citizens and politicians alike. The terrorists were astute ‘Digital Natives’,who used Google Earth and Blackberrys extensively in their operation. It isn’t easy to thwart the attempts of someone who has only one goal – “to kill as many people before I die.” The NSG was up against killing machines in the garb of young men, but they fought relentlessly to save the lives of as many hostages as they could.
g itself ‘The Deccan Mujahideen’ managed to shake up a nation. They were, however, later found to be members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a banned terrorist organization. It is time we wake up from our slumber – citizens and politicians alike. The terrorists were astute ‘Digital Natives’,who used Google Earth and Blackberrys extensively in their operation. It isn’t easy to thwart the attempts of someone who has only one goal – “to kill as many people before I die.” The NSG was up against killing machines in the garb of young men, but they fought relentlessly to save the lives of as many hostages as they could.Several brave hearts from NSG and the Mumbai police were also slain in the operation, besides civilians. Hotel staff from both the luxury hotels lost their lives while trying to save the lives of many others. Many a hero emerged from the general public. Let us honor them by fighting back in a united and organised manner, even if this is to be the precursor of other similar incidents to follow. India is a vast expanse of densely populated land with differing topography. This poses several challenges for security. The political engine of the country should focus on building the capability and infrastructure needed to effectively fight such insurgents in any part of the country. We citizens should do our bit in safeguarding ourselves. That extra bit of attention to the unclaimed bag that's been lying outside the mall all day, might make a difference if done the right way.
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