Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Condemnable

That terrorists on Saturday attacked unsuspecting, ordinary people who were enjoying their weekend in Hyderabad and killed 40 persons deserves to be condemned in the strongest possible words. The blasts have shaken not only Hyderabad but also entire India. It is time the Centre and State governments gave up their soft policy on terror, which they have pursued at the cost of innocent people.

Padmaja Reddy,

Warangal

The Andhra Pradesh government could have averted the tragedy had it paid due attention to the warnings of the Central intelligence agencies. But the State alone cannot be blamed, as it is well nigh impossible to predict where and how terrorists will strike. The very fact that they struck at an eatery and an amusement park shows how hollow their ideology is.

C.H. Sudha Rani,

Hyderabad

Security personnel cannot guard every inch of the city. The only way to ensure security is to weed out terrorists and their designs through bold steps. In view of the fact that the Andhra Pradesh government “did not allow the kinds of aggressive — and unpopular — policing” that the CBI and the police felt were necessary to secure Hyderabad (editorial “Resurgent terror, wider implications,” Aug. 27), it is time to remove the portfolio of law and order from the State List and entrust it with an independent body that is responsible to Parliament. This will remove, to a large extent, the evils of favouritism, corruption, and inaction due to political compulsions.

G.S. Kumar,

Chennai

The cowardly act of attacking the common folks to disturb social harmony is highly reprehensible. Every Indian has the responsibility of preventing terrorist acts by remaining eternally vigilant.

Moogi. Lokeswara Rao,

Visakhapatnam

Experience shows terrorist attacks cannot always be prevented with the help of intelligence services. Terrorism is not limited by national boundaries; it is the result of a particular mindset. The remedy lies in educating people.

K.R. Krishnaswami,

Chennai

After the blasts, we get a wealth of information which includes the disclosure that they were the handiwork of HuJI, LeT, JeM or some other outfit. I wonder why terrorist acts cannot be prevented when so much is known. To make matters worse, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister says the police cannot be blamed for not foiling a plot hatched in another country. Not to be left behind, our Prime Minister talks of creating a permanent fund for providing relief to victims of terrorism, suggesting that terrorism is here to stay.

H.R. Ramesh,

Tumkur

Dr. Singh’s proposal to create a separate fund has sent a wrong signal. It is equivalent to saying that the government is helpless against such attacks.

Abhinav Khare,

Noida

Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy’s remark that external forces are to blame for the blasts is not convincing. The terrorists did not use B-52 bombers to hit Hyderabad; they stayed with us, planned and executed the task here. He ought to be ashamed of the fact that the blasts took place in his capital and should not blame outsiders.

Sundararaman Murugan,

Hyderabad

It is the bounden duty of a state to ensure that its citizens are safe. A government which does not perform it has no right to be in power.

G.V.S. Lakshmi,

Visakhapatnam

Hyderabad has been targeted for the second time in 100 days because as a blooming metropolitan city, it is a symbol of India’s progress, it is communally sensitive and it is situated in a region where the security network is not at its best. Andhra Pradesh should overcome its laxity. The Centre should come to its aid at once.

A. Meghana,

Hyderabad

The only way to end terrorism is to terrorise it. And that can’t be done unless our leaders call a spade a spade. In our country, the police and the armed forces are not given a free hand to do the needful to combat terror. The opposition and the media raise a hue and cry even over the death of a known terrorist. We reap what we sow and we are, at present, sowing the seeds of danger in the form of appeasement politics.

M. Rajendar,

Nizamabad

Going out on weekends will no longer be a pleasant experience. Defusing bombs is not enough; it is important to defuse the elements that cause havoc.

A.V. Prabha Safal,

Hyderabad

Unless we get into the shoes of the victims of terror, we will not be able to appreciate the need to eliminate the perpetrators. Our memory is ephemeral. We react emotionally — in a routine manner — every time terrorists strike. Politicians’ repetitive rhetoric against terrorism appears hypocritical. Terrorism has become so prevalent that only an untiring and relentless effort of society as a whole, and not just the government, can check its spread.

Nilesh Kumar Gaurav,

Jehanabad

The media should black out the ritual performed by the Prime Minister, Home Minister, et al., after every attack — of issuing statements condemning the attack, expressing sympathy for the victims, and making hollow claims that the culprits would be brought to book and India can never be cowed down. They should also black out news of bandhs called in protest against the attack by the opposition. Leaders of various communities should ask parties to keep off and organise peaceful protests without disrupting routine life.

M.C. Joshi,

Lucknow

A heinous crime like a bomb blast requires intense investigation before anyone can be held suspect. But our politicians seem more than willing to announce the names of some obscure Muslim terror outfits within minutes of its occurrence. Our famed television channels seem to be no less efficient than the Scotland Yard. The zealousness of the authorities in pointing figures at some vague organisations demonstrates their lack of will to protect the citizens.

Deepak Joshi,

Mumbai

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