A month ago to date – the state of Assam witnessed a series of blasts simultaneously at a number of places across Assam – well planned and coordinated. A large number of ordinary people were killed and many hundreds were injured in broad daylight in crowded market areas, oil refinery locations and minority established areas – a careful choice of sites representing the centers of politics and administration in the state – all indicating an attempt to create utter confusion in the state and centre level of government. In fact it is an assault in multiple fronts.
Today as we gather to pray for the departed souls of Assam – we are faced with another assault of an unprecedented kind in Mumbai - last Wednesday the 26th November! The Mumbai attack comes 26 days after Assam – following a series of terror strikes during the last few months in India.
We mourn for the dead in all these terror attacks – yet I seethe in anger at the loopholes in our intelligence and political leadership. India is insecure by land and sea! Neither the land border fence between Assam and Bangladesh is incomplete nor photo identity cards have been issued. The unabated influx of illegal migrants poses a danger not only to demography of Assam but also to the National Security of India. By Sea as witnessed only this week in Mumbai - terror operations came from the Sea. No border of this nation is secure.
The multiple audacious assaults by terrorists have been compared to the US 9/11 by the CNN. America had its 9/11 and then systems were put in place to prevent recurrence. European cities took massive hits but subsequently came up with answers that can stand scrutiny. India is plodding!
Today we pray for the departed souls from both tragedies. Our condolences to the families of two Australians who were victims of this attack in Mumbai. We mourn the death of Sabina Sakia, senior Times of India journalist. She had been in Sydney in May on a holiday with her family. She was the daughter in law of a literary giant of Assam, late Shri Chandra Saikia. She leaves behind her husband Shantanu, a senior journalist, her 14 year old daughter Arundhati and younger son Aniruddha. We pray to God to give them the strength to bear their traumatic loss. We call on the Government of India for drastic changes in intelligence gathering mechanism and policing for National Security by land and sea.
By Rekha Bhattacharjee
December 1, 2008
Rekha Bhattacharjee has lived in Sydney for nearly 40 years. She runs three child care centers in Sydney and is the publisher and editor of the Indian Post in Sydney. She is married to Tushar Bhattacharjee and has two children, Amrit and Monica, both married and settled in Australia.
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