Not only Mumbai, India should fight back

Mumbai, Nov 30 (UNI) With a number of terrorist attacks on the country, including the recent Mumbai mayhem, it is high time for the people to come out, fight the menace unitedly and learn how to deal with such heinous acts, people from various walks of life said.

Post Operation Cyclone, in which the Taj Mahal hotel was freed after terrorists held hostages for 59 hours, the people should introspect as to what makes them fall prey to such perpetrators of crime so easily, they felt.

''This is not the first time we have become targets of these faces of terror. Unless we solve the problem of communalism and religion, such incidents will always return to haunt us,'' Bollywood actor and choreographer Javed Jaffery had told UNI on November 27 in front of the Taj, besieged by terrorists on the previous night.

''We can't believe that India was chosen randomly by these militants. It is the dismal performance of the administration in maintaining law and order that led to this mayhem,'' 22-year-old law student Anand Patil said.

Another student of social science Anirban Roy could not stop himself from saying that the present political scenario was a disgrace. Condemning the attacks on the financial capital of the country, he said the terrorists wanted to shatter the country's economy but the politicians were busy playing 'dirty politics' over the issues like religion.

''These politicians have not learned from their past mistakes and every time they fail to check recurrence of such incidents,'' said Ashraf Ali from an NGO, who was there to provide refreshments to the soldiers and those who were rescued from the captivity of the gunmen.

''It is time we asked what we can do for country, not the other way round. This question must not be just asked or debated on, it should be acted upon,'' said a soldier, who was involved in the Operation.

''I have seen the bodies inside and believe me, it is not easy to ever forget such gory sights,'' he added.

Columnist Anil Dharker said, ''India will need to take a proactive initiatives to instil confidence among the world community. It is amazing that after 20 years of grappling with terrorism, we have not learnt anything.'' ''We should not allow our differences and dislike for others to be hijacked by parties, for their vested interests,'' Mr Dharker said.

Whether it is Mumbai or Gujarat, Delhi or Jaipur, at the end it is only the common man who becomes victim of terror, he added.

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