Tackling Terrorism

A series of bomb blasts, x people dead, y injured, 24x7 news coverage, Ministry of Home Affairs huddle, REACTIVE police action, rhetoric, mud slinging, finger pointing, political opportunism, top IPS officers suspended, a debate topic for intellectuals, angry and helpless common man, talk about spirit of the city, sanction of funds for police modernization, blame game and using of colors saffron/green. And as always, tolerant Indian society moves on. Tolerance may be a virtue, it is high time we unsubscribe from this. Let me explore some relevant questions.

Who funds terror ?

We have heard of black money being siphoned off from India. How does this money travel abroad ? Not through a plane or a ship neither can it be transferred through bank accounts (as it would be white then). One way to transfer black money is 'hawala'. Suppose you need to send B-money to a Swiss bank (tax haven). At the same time there will be money from opium trade outside India willing to reach in terrorist hands inside India. The intermediary takes your money gives it to the terrorist within India and the opium trade money goes to your Swiss bank account.

You buy real estate or gold from the tax money you evaded. All money finally accrues up in the hands of big businesses which in turn use the hawala route. Though very small, there is a probability that your black money helped terrorists.

Why do the Indian police/intelligence agency fail to stop 0.1 % of the attacks ?

Our police is a system that still works on the 1861 Indian Police Act. Police is in the state list, i/e- state government has control over the police system. State can chose to improve it, make it worse or maintain status quo. To improve police system requires political will - this comes through coercion ( as has been proved in the past). Unless a civil society movement (of the RTI, RTE, Lokpal sorts) brings the government to its feet, political will won't come.

Democracy in India comes for a month during five years and then it vanishes into the ballot box. Government won't do anything. For our democracy to work we need a vigilant civil society and terrorism (read black money and police reforms) should be high on its agenda.