Thoughts on terror

The word terrorism was part of one’s consciousness growing up in Delhi in the eighties. It was the height of the pro-Khalistan movement. Every now and then, the terrorists would strike, usually described as a couple of “bearded, turbaned youths on a scooter” who opened gunfire in one of South Delhi’s residential colonies killing innocent citizens. Within a couple of days, life would return to normal. How long could one’s daily routine be dictated by these happenings? It was something one took in one’s stride and moved on.

Khalistan faded away, but terrorism has not. Bomb blasts happen every now and then. Tens, and sometimes, hundreds of people die. Ordinary people grieve for the victims, let the news linger for a day or two and move on. Those who have experienced personal loss live with the grief for the rest of their lives. Some things haven’t changed, but the extent of destruction in these attacks has. Bombs seem to have become deadlier, and the number of victims per attack has increased. The worst of them have extinguished more than a couple of hundred lives.

What motivates those who carry out these one attacks, one wonders? Are they really close to the “causes” that they supposedly are fighting for, or are they just clueless souls with a twisted desire to kill and maim? If they are indeed pursuing a cause, the correlation between the “success” of these acts and the achievement of their goals is far from obvious.

While they do create a concern about public places and crowded modes of transport, economic and social need dwarfs the niggling threat to self-preservation. So people will still go to work and travel because it is in human nature as well as a necessity to do so. It is delusional for anyone to believe otherwise. For the terrorist to imagine that his act will bring the community at large to a standstill, is like a mosquito believing its bite will permanently cripple a human body.

The “terrorist” label is also applied curiously and selectively. Last week, a hundred and fifty people died in India, from alleged sabotage of rail tracks leading to a terrible collision between two trains. The authorities say that a Maoist group is responsible for the act.

If that is the case, isn’t this as deserving as the “terrorist” label as 26/11 and similar incidents? Why term this differently and deny the evil inherent in the act?