Taken for a Ride

Going by everything the newspapers and news channels are reporting, it would seem that the authorities are playing a really nasty joke on us. Either they think that we are extremely devoid of any intelligence or they think that they can take us for a complete spin. With people of authority in the government changing their position on facts pertaining to the Mumbai attacks almost every third day, I certainly feel like they take us for complete idiots.

To begin with, the Marine Commandos stated that, going by the behavior of the terrorists, they were certain that the terrorists had complete knowledge of the hotel and the area around the Taj. They had thus presumably undertaken a thorough recce of the area in the days leading up to the attack. This point had been contradicted by the Mumbai Commissioner of Police Mr. Hasan Gafoor who had, for the record, stated that there was no recce done by the terrorists. The reports on the amount of RDX found and the locations at which it was found were also contradictory. Also we cannot forget the utterly contradictory statements made by heads of various forces taking part in the operations. The General from the Army had a different idea of the number of terrorists than the head of the NSG who further differed from what the CP Mumbai Police had to say (mind you, they were all on TV or in the newspaper saying this, so its not about media speculation).

There are two ways to rationalize the ongoing mockery. One, that there is complete failure of coordination and information sharing between the various agencies and none are sure about the facts themselves (this, we all know, is to a large extent true). Two, that the government is actually well in control of these agencies and is forcing them to alter the facts as it deems fit. The government’s motive presumably being to alter the truth so as to suit the position and actions it would find convenient in the days and weeks to come.

Assuming the second rationale to be true, we have grave reasons to be worried. There is no doubting the strategic and political benefits available to India if it maintains its current position of blaming the attacks on Pakistan (or elements in it). In such a scenario, we as citizens need to question and understand that, in the name of national interest, are we being taken for a ride?