Mindless massacre in Mumbai

It’s been a little over 24 hours since a group of 25 or so terrorists, reportedly in the 20-25 age group, began to wreak havoc in Mumbai by shooting indiscriminately in restaurants, five star hotels and a railway station. More than 125 people have been reported to have died (including several foreign nationals) and hundreds more are hurt- physically. Millions have been hurt emotionally. The nation’s pride has been wounded and there is a groundswell of outrage and anger among the average Indian. I just hope this emotion does not snowball into a communal riot that can leave even more permanent scars.

Already, the Mumbai police is trying to cope with the loss of a couple of its senior officers. And as if that was not enough, Dr Manmohan SIngh, Sonia Gandhi and L K Advani too have arrived in Mumbai. This means diverting police resources to deal with their security. Reports suggest that 6-7 of the suspected terrorists (supposedly, the perpetrators are from a group called “Deccan Mujahideen”) have escaped and that can only complicate the situation.

By targeting the Taj and the Oberoi hotels, the perpetrators have struck at the up-market hub of India’s commercial capital. By killing senior police officers, they have done worse. India as a nation is hurting. What comes of this investigation may not be relevant.