Another train blast has taken place killing 68 people. During the last ten years, 272 lives have been lost in train blasts. This includes the seven series blasts in Mumbai trains on July 11 last year that killed 185 and wounded people in hundreds. A little before, on 11 March, 2003, 11 people died due to a blast in a Mumbai train. 33 people gave away their lives in Brahmputra Mail in Assam on 30 December, 1996.
These are just few incidents that show that terrorists have repeatedly used trains as medium to spread terror. Not just in India, they are doing the same internationally as well; blasts in London and Madrid are a pointer to this.
The Samjhauta Express train blast earlier this week was not just aimed at killing a few more innocents and spreading the message of terror; they were also aimed at ripping apart the cordial ties between India and Pakistan. This is so because this train and its name itself were symbolic of the delicate thread of brotherly relationship that hangs between the two countries and chaos.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil has gone on record saying that he was aware who was responsible for the blasts but would not like to name them at the moment as this would have adverse impact. Moreover, there are reports that intelligence agencies had already forewarned the government about likelihood of such an attack. Even general people were aware of the threat to this train, in particular, and rest of the trains in general. Why did the Government and Railway authorities in particular failed to take any preventive measures? The very fact that 12 passengers in the train, including Pakistani nationals, were traveling without passports and there were only seven security persons in the train comprising 16 coaches is an indication to this.
Moreover, the Haryana police is claiming that two persons boarded the train from Old Delhi Railway Station and alighted from it about 15 minutes before the explosions when the train had slowed down near the Deewana station. Clearly they had no valid tickets to be traveling on this train whereas people without passports and valid visas are not allowed to board the Samjhauta Express. These two even had heated arguments for 20 minutes with the security personnel on board the train. Even the sketches of these people have been released. Why were no attempts made to stop these people from getting down? Is it so easy for a person to alight from a high-security train? If people can alight midway, there are all possibilities that others can board it too.
It is worthless to claim that so and so was behind the attack? No doubt, direct hand of Jaish or Lashkar-e-Toiba cannot be ruled out. But who is to be blamed for utter failure to take care of the security. Samjhauta Express is not like any other trains which stops at every other station to take in or drop passengers. All the passengers had boarded the train from Delhi, which has been under terrorist attacks on countless occasions and a minimum amount of security is expected at the station.
What is the point of red alert now? People’s baggage is once again being screened at the stations from the day the blast occurred. The same was being done till a few days after the previous similar attacks in Mumbai and elsewhere. Terrorists are not fools like us who would plan another attack in the near future. They are sure to lie low until this ‘alert’ converts into ‘slumber’ once again.
These are just few incidents that show that terrorists have repeatedly used trains as medium to spread terror. Not just in India, they are doing the same internationally as well; blasts in London and Madrid are a pointer to this.
The Samjhauta Express train blast earlier this week was not just aimed at killing a few more innocents and spreading the message of terror; they were also aimed at ripping apart the cordial ties between India and Pakistan. This is so because this train and its name itself were symbolic of the delicate thread of brotherly relationship that hangs between the two countries and chaos.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil has gone on record saying that he was aware who was responsible for the blasts but would not like to name them at the moment as this would have adverse impact. Moreover, there are reports that intelligence agencies had already forewarned the government about likelihood of such an attack. Even general people were aware of the threat to this train, in particular, and rest of the trains in general. Why did the Government and Railway authorities in particular failed to take any preventive measures? The very fact that 12 passengers in the train, including Pakistani nationals, were traveling without passports and there were only seven security persons in the train comprising 16 coaches is an indication to this.
Moreover, the Haryana police is claiming that two persons boarded the train from Old Delhi Railway Station and alighted from it about 15 minutes before the explosions when the train had slowed down near the Deewana station. Clearly they had no valid tickets to be traveling on this train whereas people without passports and valid visas are not allowed to board the Samjhauta Express. These two even had heated arguments for 20 minutes with the security personnel on board the train. Even the sketches of these people have been released. Why were no attempts made to stop these people from getting down? Is it so easy for a person to alight from a high-security train? If people can alight midway, there are all possibilities that others can board it too.
It is worthless to claim that so and so was behind the attack? No doubt, direct hand of Jaish or Lashkar-e-Toiba cannot be ruled out. But who is to be blamed for utter failure to take care of the security. Samjhauta Express is not like any other trains which stops at every other station to take in or drop passengers. All the passengers had boarded the train from Delhi, which has been under terrorist attacks on countless occasions and a minimum amount of security is expected at the station.
What is the point of red alert now? People’s baggage is once again being screened at the stations from the day the blast occurred. The same was being done till a few days after the previous similar attacks in Mumbai and elsewhere. Terrorists are not fools like us who would plan another attack in the near future. They are sure to lie low until this ‘alert’ converts into ‘slumber’ once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment