Twenty-five blasts in two days, 46 dead and scores injured. The serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad on July 25 and 26 respectively, were only proof that the insidious network of terrorism runs deep in India. Is there a failure in the system? Does India lack the resolve to tackle terrorism? How can India curb terrorism? Former IPS officer and winner of the Magsaysay Award, Kiran Bedi was on IBNLive.com, fielding these and more on Tuesday, July 29.
Following is the transcript of the web chat:
Deepak Yadav: There is lot of talk as India being a soft state, which I feel is totally uncalled for. Can you please tell me the difference between a state, which is supposedly soft on terror and the one which is not? Also, which states are not soft on terror? It is the ordinary human being who loses his life.
Kiran Bedi: Well, the manner in which we are disjointed, which is our enforcement systems; we are not fully ready to prevent and detect (terrorism) on a large scale basis...hence the soft situation.
Ashish Srivastava: Like the Army, why don’t we have the police and CBI independent of political influence?
Kiran Bedi: No, it works under the political executive. They select the leaders.... they appoint or promote or transfer. They retain the choices.
Ajay Pandey: Why are we attacked again and again, while the US has not been attacked since 9/11?
Kiran Bedi: Because the US is tough...and united (while) we are weak and divided.
Vijay Shah: Ms Bedi, I watched you many times on TV channels with your views and am indeed impressed. If you become a Home Minister for short time what will be your priorities and how you get the results?
Kiran Bedi: Well, such a situation is not likely at all, because our political system looks for the weakest to hopefully deliver. But if the system wants a strong and fair person, his or her appointment itself will drive half the problem away. Then it will take not more than a year to set it all right.
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Saurabh Patharkar: Respected Kiran Madam, today 14 bombs are found in Surat alone. Days before 17 blasts (took place) in Ahmedabad. Is it such an easy task for terrorists to plant bombs in two days, in the same state, without coming to the notice of our security agencies? Has our security network become so weak to infiltrate?
Kiran Bedi: Yes, it is (so) anywhere today, because the police (force) on the ground is very inadequate...the lowest in proportion. Can you believe (that) it is lower than Nepal or even Mynamar? People are not part of the crime prevention for they have never been involved in a systematic way anywhere.
Vinod: 25 blasts in three days and 14 bombs in a day! Where are we wrong in the security approach? Where do we need to change?
Kiran Bedi: All political parties will have to come together and take responsibility for their respective constituencies. All panchayats, all resident-welfare-associations, all market associations, all field voluntary groups.... This means people at large with the police...Both trusting each other.
Sheel prabhakar: What can a common man do to prevent terrorism?
Kiran Bedi: Be a part of the larger community of people who are alert and aware, as also question the political executive and the police of its responsibility.
Sandesh: Ma’am, is it possible for us to form an internal intelligence network to prevent terrorist activities? If so, what are the difficulties?
Kiran Bedi: Well, if you have information, yes! And if you are suspicious about something, you must tell and inform. But then there has to be a system to respect and act on your information with confidentiality.... there has to be a system and trust mutually.
Saravanan: Why have these attacks happened? Are they like devils and out to kill like animals?
Kiran Bedi: All those who do this, have their own goals and missions to be achieved. This is their belief and their faith, their rationalisation.... their way to divinity...their anger their emotions, howsoever cruel.
Guru Rao: Good evening, Madam. Don’t you think India has been very moderate towards the jehadis and that is the reason we are seeing an increase in the number of terror attacks. The confidence of jehadis seems to be high now. They have no fear now and we people have to live in terror.
Kiran Bedi: Our whole criminal justice system is moderate. The tougher the criminal the softer it goes, for the reason that the evidence it demands…the system does not provide. We have not been evaluating our laws from time to time...not reviewing them from time to time...we are outdated in law enforcement.
Nikhil: Why don’t we shoot these terrorist when they are caught?
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Kiran Bedi: We can shoot only if threatened and challenged. We have a right to defend, not to attack. This is the law of any civilised country with democratic system.
Nihal: Why do politicians play the blame game at this time? Instead, they should be focusing on getting to these criminals and killing them in public at the same sites that they planted bombs. That too, by the people who were affected/survived. Don't you think that this would send out a strong message to these heartless criminals?
Kiran Bedi: Yes, they all instead need to close ranks and come together. A special session is urgently called for with wise debate to correct the loopholes, to make it tougher for the criminals to get away. But this is not happening yet.
Chenna: Dear Kiran Bedi, we see that all the Western countries are very tough on terrorism. What do you advise to our Parliament to make India tough on terrorism? There was a lot of uproar going on POTA and TADA? But why is this being misused by Indian police and isn’t the same seen in countries like the US? Like today, we see the common man is afraid of police, to make any complaints, because the police harass the common man with questions. How do you advise the police department to become more transparent and reachable to common man and at the same time tough towards terrorists?
Kiran Bedi: We need the best and toughest laws with safeguards, so that no injustice happens, but also no criminal can get away. This is possible if a small team of legal experts are assigned the task, and then they submit the report for debate in Parliament. Even states can do the same, except again their law needs the consent of the President through the executive at the Centre.
Junaid Khan: Do you feel there is any political motive behind these attacks, since the UPA is approaching its last leg of power?
Kiran Bedi: No, not at all. I can't even think on those lines.
Prince: Hello Madam! Don’t you think that we need to talk with them, what they want and why they are doing these kinds of inhuman things?
Kiran Bedi: Once we take the responsibility at each constituency level, it may lead to the identification of a communication mode with disgruntled elements....but it will not work where mercenaries are involved for they are doing it with a different agenda...Hence, we have to do everything possible and be prepared still.
Rahul Arora: Only one attack on the US and the US attacked Afghanistan & Iran as well. We’re facing this problem from the last two decades. Don't you think Madam; it’s crossed the limits. ? Can we attack the terrorist-camps? Or do we run our lives as usual?
Kiran Bedi: We have to modernise and overhaul the way we police and deliver justice and the way we involve the people in policing. Unless we work on all fronts, we will continue to be beaten. And we know what needs to be done...we only need to implement and follow it up to the hilt and sustain the changes.... we must use more technology. And there are many other issues.
Shreekrishna Padki: Dr. Bedi, our country's ‘Honourable’ Home Minister says existing laws are sufficient to fight terrorism in India. How far is it true?
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Kiran Bedi: No, they are not! Has anyone asked the police, the prosecutor, and the judiciary? This is exactly the problem. Ask the wearers of these shoes and they will tell you where all it hurts.... listen to the practitioners...you will have the answers. And this is not a one-time exercise but a regular dialogue.
DP: Dear Madam, I’m sure the entire India is proud of what you achieved in your life, especially being a woman. At this moment one thing is going on in my mind. You might have achieved a lot. Do you regret not serving the full term in your occupation as an IPS officer? Somewhere down the line, I feel you lost your fight. Please comment - DP, Melbourne.
Kiran Bedi: When the time came for me to give my best to the nation as the Police Commissioner of the city of Delhi, the political executive and the bureaucracy came in the way. They had no courage to see people and police succeeding together, for this would have happened. This class of decision-makers say one thing but mean something else. I saw it. Had I stayed on doing nothing I would have lost...I gained by moving out to do what I want to do.
Vinod: Hi Madam. If these people are doing these things, I think more than security it is the lack from public also. Is there any special approach or any specific thing that public have to do?
Kiran Bedi: Yes Organise yourselves in your respective areas to self-police. But the issue is what do you do when you are outside you own neighbourhoods, markets. Some one else too has to be community police conscious as well.
Manoj: I attribute it to the lack of intelligence. There's lack of number of people, technology, expertise, cohesion and above all rewards. The police havaldar down below is not committed to the job either. What kind of accountability and rewards should be provided for collection and dissemination of intelligence, especially human intelligence?
Kiran Bedi: We need to drastically increase our feet on the ground. We must provide for better police beat systems, which are absent today, which will mean area responsibility of each person. This means more men and more women on the ground...till we have more We can co-opt all the retired personnel, the students, the NCC, the scouts and guides...etc....but with prior training...and then cooption.
Princeindoswe: What do you think about those politicians blaming each other instead of doing something concrete to prevent these kinds of activities?
Kiran Bedi: They are national liabilities.
Rahul Arora: Today, when there are lots of attacks by terrorists from last five days, I think terrorists are ready to fight with our country. But still no action is seen by government or is this a wait and watch policy? If yes, then for how much time is this?
Kiran Bedi:Yes, the terrorists have openly challenged the security systems today. We need to go all out to draft volunteers, to mobilise the community all over, in all constituencies, to raise intelligence and put the terrorists on the run...till more police is on the ground...and even after.
Rachna: Hello Madam. I want to know your views about, why the Indian government is not able to control the terrorist attacks?
Kiran Bedi: Because it kept the criminal justice system outdated.
P Venkatasubramanian: Dr.Bedi, should we not have tougher laws to prevent terror strikes and to initiate actions against the culprits? The politicians keep on harping that tough laws like POTA did not prevent earlier terror attacks. Do you not feel this is ridiculous? If tough laws are not enacted for fear of abuse, then we cannot enact any law.
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Kiran Bedi: Yes, there have to be a tougher legal system, and the laws be made public...through radio, television and media channels.
Varun Sharma: Hello Madam. Don't you think its a shame for us as a country and for the Police and the so called Public servants as the guardians of our national security? Talking in absolute practical terms, what you think is the state of our national security at present?
Kiran Bedi: Well, it is certainly not something to be proud of, but to be worried about
Sachin Shetty N: Hi Madam. Do you think Indian anti-terror policies are ‘outdated’ and go soft? Do you buy the fact that removal of laws like the POTA has encouraged terrorists?
Kiran Bedi:Yes, it has sent a wrong message. And we outdated and also not united.
Sri Harsha: Ms. Bedi, why does our constitution give room for culprits with evidence. Those who are involved in such activities should be awarded nothing less than death sentence. I think the time we spend in interrogating these issues is more than the time they live. No wonder then that they dare to attack the same places again and again... What can be done to make the corrupt realize the cost of their take it easy’ attitude?
Kiran Bedi: No, which is why tougher law with legal processes in place will help, with safeguards too. Any one abusing the law also faces the same punishment, not just lose his job
Ani: Hi Bedi.
Kiran Bedi: Hi...
Surya: Strangely, scores from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka are living in India. What different identity does the Indian citizen have today? There could be HUJI or LTTE or even ISI in these asylum seekers. What action did the government take on these people?
Kiran Bedi: We need to get on a national ID system as soon as possible, with a sense of integrity and not the way the ration cards are made. All of us, one billion in all, need to be on a computer system. All our information needs to be on the computer, our financial status, traffic violations etc.
Rachna: Ms. Bedi, what should be our approach as common Indians to fight against terrorism?
Kiran Bedi: At least, be organised, be alert and inform the police if you see anything suspicious.
Sandesh: Ma’am, can you give the differences between TADA and POTA...and why are these laws politicised?
Kiran Bedi: POTA came just as TADA expired and the then new govt wanted a new name. Both had certain features, which made evidence presentation easier...like disclosure statement was admissible as evidence.
Rachna: Do you think bringing back laws like POTA can help?
Kiran Bedi: Friends, I now need to go as it is time for my next meeting scheduled earlier. It was nice talking to you all. Jai Hind. Wish you all safety and happiness Kiran Bedi.
EMC3: Madam, is it a good idea to make all Indian College going students take up compulsorily army training, to combat tactics used by terrorists etc?
Kiran Bedi: Friends, I am sorry I have to move over to the next commitment. Wish you safety, security and success in all that you do... Jai Hind.
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