Horrors revisited

Sir — The horrific bomb blast at the Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad, has, understandably, shaken the entire nation yet again (“Flutter of terror”, May 19). But it has become routine for politicians to condemn such incidents, make solemn promises about combating terror and then move on, letting things fizzle out on their own. Terror management still remains a messy affair. The Mohammed Afzal Guru case, for instance, is yet to come to a close, letting terrorists feel smug in the knowledge that they can get away with anything. Andhra Pradesh, particularly Hyderabad, has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Fake passport scams involving Abu Salem, Monica Bedi and now Babubhai Katara are some of the memorable incidents that were traced back to the state. There is no point treating these incidents as regional scandals. The Centre must take the initiative to begin an extensive probe into the various corrupt and anti-social activities that are tarnishing the reputation of this state.

Yours faithfully,
M.M. Kale, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh

Sir — Terrorist attacks on holy places are not new to India. They have happened many times and, unfortunately, have left little impact on the political memory of the nation. Perhaps if closed-circuit television cameras had been installed in the mosque, the attacks could have been avoided. At least, the clues left on the footage might have helped the investigation. Now we have to wait for another prolonged enquiry out of which nothing definite might emerge.

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari, Calcutta

Sir — The attack on Mecca Masjid comes in the long line of terrorist strikes on places of worship that have taken place in the past few years. It is no good trying to fix the blame for such a massacre on international terror groups. After all, it must also be remembered that in India too vote-bank politics has succeeded in dividing the society on communal lines. Personal political gain has been upheld at the expense of the greater common good. It must also be taken into account that the scientific, technological and economic advancements that are being associated with an emerging New India become meaningless in the absence of peace and communal harmony.

Yours faithfully,
N.V.S.N. Murthy, Gandhinagar, Secunderabad

Sir — Each year, India experiences one or more bomb blasts, either in temples, mosques, or trains and buses. And most of the times, some Islamist organization or another is suspected and blamed at length. What, then, is the role of the intelligentsia, which failed to warn us about any of these blasts? Why do we have an intelligence department at all? Rather than playing the blame game, our political leaders need to address this issue with seriousness.

Yours faithfully,
Lubna Salim, Calcutta

Sir — Whenever we talk about India, we praise its great democratic and secular structure. And why not, since democracy and secularism are the two founding principles of the Indian state. Unfortunately, with the ongoing tension around the world between Sunnis and Shias or Catholics and Protestants, one should not take the secular democracy of India for granted. The recent crisis in Punjab triggered off by a squabble between the Dera sect and other Sikh groups, and the communal tensions following the Hyderabad mosque bombing are incidents that have emerged as the evidence of intolerance among Indians. Be it the Richard Gere-Shilpa Shetty kiss controversy or the attack on art in Vadodara, time and again, those aspects of democracy which are connected to the freedom of speech and expression have been attacked. If this is what is going on in our own country, then we have no right to pretend to be the secular big brothers and criticize our neighbours.

Yours faithfully,
Raghvendra Singh, Missouri, US

Sir — Within seven months of the Malegaon blast, yet another prayer congregation has been attacked by terrorists, this time at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad. Although much has been said and written about the Mecca Masjid blasts happening on the day of the sentencing of the Mumbai blast convicts, I feel that this is no more than a coincidence.

There has also been much talk about the minority community’s feeling of being at the receiving end of the State’s indifference (“A question of faith”, May 20). Such a suspicion is unfounded, since the majority community is not necessarily the privileged one in India. In fact, which community will be favoured is determined entirely by the political leaders and their compulsions of the moment. But whichever community is favoured or condemned, for the sake of the nation’s security and larger interests, policing and intelligence have to be made tighter and foolproof to avoid similar tragedies in future.

Yours faithfully,
Subhankar Mukherjee, Burdwan

Sir — It appears that most terrorist organizations have made India a soft target. The government of India must show stiff resistance to these terrorist outfits in order to convey the message that our national security cannot be compromised under any circumstances. The man on the street has to pay the price of the laid-back attitude of the government.

Yours faithfully,
Kaushik Sen, Calcutta

Sir — The blasts in Mecca Masjid should warn those who always point fingers at Muslims whenever there is a terrorist strike. Terror has no religion. Muslims are as vulnerable before terrorist designs as are Hindus or any other community. Indians should try to fight terror as a nation, rather than as this community or that.

Yours faithfully,
U.S. Bhattacharya, Calcutta