India needs a tough hostage policy
The abductions of two Italians and two government officials by Maoist guerrillas in just over a month must have left Indian authorities with a sense of déjà vu as they search for ways to end the cycle of negotiations and eventual accession to demands made by the rebels.
For the Maoists, who say they are fighting for people left out of India’s economic boom, the tactic of taking hostages instead of engaging soldiers brings huge dividends — obtaining freedom for jailed comrades and suspension of military ‘combing’ operations in areas controlled by them.
The method is not new, with government records showing hundreds of kidnappings since 2008 by Maoists, who have fought for decades in a wide swathe of central and eastern India including many resource-rich regions. Authorities stumble along on a case-by-case basis because there is no set procedure on how to handle such situations.
But the recent pattern of high-profile abductions which have grabbed national headlines have worried the central government enough to consider drafting a long overdue policy on dealing with hostage situations.
Countries like the U.S., with its “no negotiation” policy and Israel’s deadly responses to militant attacks have all been contrasted to India’s handling of hostage crises, which most agree is not tough enough to stop or discourage future cases.
No details are known of the policy draft, but for any policy to be effective, India must shed its ‘soft’ image and include the politically risky option of rescue operations, without which the only option of hostage release in most cases is agreeing to the abductors’ demands.
And there are quite a few precedents to learn from – starting from the famous 1999 ‘Kandahar Hijacking’ where three Kashmiri militants were released, to the recent events in Orissa where authorities freed a Maoist leader’s imprisoned wife and promised to facilitate the release of several other rebels.
“Sitting here watching the Taj burn down”
Reuters Editor, South Asia, Phil Smith is reporting from outside the landmark Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, where Western hostages are being held.
“The scene at the famous gate of India is chaos, with dozens of army, police and fire trucks struggling to control a situation which began in the late evening on Wednesday. Searchlights illuminate the front of the Taj hotel, as up to five gunmen hold hundreds of hotel guests hostage. There have been several explosions from inside the hotel and earlier, grenades were thrown from windows and exploded in the street.
“At around 3 a.m., a large explosion set fire to the top part of the building, and fires are still burning on the upper floors.
“There have been rescue attempts by firefighters with hotel guests plucked from lower floor front windows by ladder and hydraulic lift. As they fled the scene, they told how they barricaded themselves in their rooms after hearing explosions and automatic fire in the hotel. There are similar scenes across the peninsula at the Trident hotel where another siege is going one.
“As dawn approaches, the fate of the remaining hostages is still unclear.”
To listen to Phil’s audio account click here.
Lets wake up now!! First, it was Sankat Mochan at Varanasi. They tried to alter people’s faith. Then were the crowded markets of Delhi, aiming at people shopping for Diwali. They then carried a serial blasts that shook Bangalore, India’s IT hub. And now they are targeting Countries best Hotels, that too in the financial capital of India, Mumbai that affects nation’s economy.
It’s a high degree of letdown for the Indian Government being slapped away on the face by these ruthless devilish terrorist groups who are butchering innocent lives every now and then. My heart cries and my eyes get blood when I look at the pictures of the distorted human bodies on the screen of my television sitting alone in my drawing room. I feel pain and anguish deep inside my heart. Sorrily wiping tears and feeling helpless for not being able to do anything about it.
When will this bloodbath end? When can we get fresh air to breath? When can there be a day when there’s no news of ‘life’ getting challenged? Where can we find fearless time walking on the roads holding hands of our children? When can we go to places without a scare of sudden terror attack? How can we stop humankind getting victimized and falling for these gruesome acts? When I leave every morning for my College, I’m petrified whether I’ll be able to make it back to home safe today or not.
I want to ask all is it that difficult? Is it that impossible? A fist full of people ruined nation’s best hotels because of an extremely weak security lapse. It’s unbelievable to think that a population of over one billon is incapable fight back against terrorism. It is absolutely cowardly to succumb to such devastations in the country any more. The idea might sound difficult but it’s not that impossible either. A lot can be done, if we are awake within. If we bind our hearts and souls together to sweep away the dust of terrorism from the heart of our motherland. Even though it’s been 61 years of Independence, yet India is not free from the chains of insecurity and slavery of terror. Seems we are yet to see a free India…
My humble plea to my countrymen, let’s shun our selfishness and give away our ignorances. Now is the time to open your eyes. Let’s be together and join hands. Let’s do something about it before it gets too late. Let’s wake up at least NOW!!
//Many recent editorials in the media have called on the government to get tough on anti-state elements, with some even advocating a ‘no negotiation’ policy.//
Well said. But India being federal in nature things almost always need to go through a definitive set of meetings with whoever involved in tackling the Maoists menace at the state level. The recent meeting on NCTC (a Center- formulated bill prescribing a stricter control of terrorism) has exposed many shortcomings as far as allocating powers to the states are concerned. The very states (notably Tamil Nadu and Gujarat) who raised a ‘hue and cry’ at the meet for they believed the bill might infringe upon the constitutionally drawn state rights, have often resorted to extra-judicial killings in dealing with crime inside their territories.