In the meantime work meant we met various people in uniform and everybody spoke of the same thing. But a few meetings were more than normal. One officer Maj Unnikrishnan had been martyred in the operation along with another commando. Meeting a Brigadier responsible for training commandoes the first question he asked, actually barked at me, if I may say so was – 2 of my boys died, they were wearing BPJ’s, did it protect them? This question had not occurred to me and I stared at him dumbly saying I had no idea what actually happened in the action. He replied – “you are right, let me check” and proceeded to call up someone and discussed the details. He appeared satisfied with the answers and was all cream and honey after that. As I relaxed I was smiling at this “Humour in uniform” moment I had experienced.
For those of us in the sector, we found the behavior, decisions of various states, their police forces, different branches of the uniformed forces very conflicting and it was obvious that a very clear divide between different political attitudes was driving everything. Talking to various folks in uniform many questions were raised. Why were every person “rescued” or who came out of the hotel allowed to simply walk away without being debriefed, their antecedents checked. What if there had been support groups of the terrorists who had walked free once the attacks began. Even after getting information on the attacks why did 3 senior officers travel together in the same car. There were many conjectures, conspiracy theories that abounded but as a nation I think politically we failed horribly in handling the event from the beginning to much later.
While many took actions, brought in changes, the general feeling it left with many was that a nation had surrendered to the inevitable and decided to move on and few were bothered about doing anything about it. It was just another day at the office.
My regular taxi driver told me later how his fellow taxi driver had given a taxi ride to the terrorists and they had got down after planting a bomb under his seat which he was not aware of. He had picked up a passenger who apparently got down a few meters before his destination and as the passenger walked away, the taxi exploded killing the driver but the passenger was lucky to live.
Another friend was staying at the hotel at the time of the attack in the same wing which was burnt down. Sitting down for dinner with his business associate in the restaurant that was attacked his friend suddenly demanded that when in Mumbai, eat Mumbai style and not in a fancy star hotel. He insisted and dragged my friend to some nearby location. Within minutes he got a call from his family asking about the attack and his bewildered answer was that he had just stepped out. Rushing back, they saw the events unfolding and leaving behind his stuff in the room (which likely got burnt too) he rushed back to Bangalore on as is where is basis that night itself.
So many have shared stories of what they experienced but unlike many other events, this is one that will and should remain etched in the collective memory of Indians – Never Forget, Never Forgive. This was nothing short of a war on India without the definitions of war being fulfilled.
The attack gave us an opportunity to research various security products, meet many smaller companies globally, evaluate their products and the personal education was immense and exciting. One particular experience, to a colleague, was something that I am sure he would regale his grandchildren with. A small company said they had a product like a sunscreen film which when applied on car windows or any glass window would provide protection attacks against mobs, smaller handguns as commonly used in USA at least to save lives. They claimed that buildings could have protection against even a car bomb that could go off outside. We saw videos but then anybody can make videos. Obviously such a “trial” was out of the question. But we were keen to explore the possibilities of this product in India.
A colleague totally unconnected with our business and industry was visiting the particular country and I requested him to go meet this company and see if they really existed. The company told me they would arrange a product trial where they would “shoot” my colleague. I didn’t tell him this. He visited their office and the CEO of the company old him that a “product” demo had been arranged wherein they would shoot him as he stood behind a glass fitted with their protective film. While I am not sure what went on in his mind at that time, he agreed after the CEO said, he would join him. The two chaps stood together behind a life size glass frame, the CEO holding my colleague tightly so he didn’t run away and another chap shot them with a automatic handgun. He survived and even though tempted to kill me on his return retained the video for his grandchildren. He called it the most exciting moment of his life.
Another company told us how they had built a database of various terror attacks and such incidents globally. Their team of security experts listened to every news and the moment there was any incident rushed to the location and compiled exhaustive reports on every scrap of information they could obtain including from the security forces themselves. The benefit was anybody facing a real time threat or incident with access to their data base could analyse all such past incidents globally over the last few decades and use that to help them plan their response to a developing situation on the ground. They claimed that it made a huge difference to their clients in planning counter terror operations or terror incidents.
Conspiracy theories, rumours were flying all around. Some said there had been a demand for swap of prisoners which the Govt of India was ready for but at the last moment refused remembering the hijack incident of the past and the political fallout. Others said that Israel had rushed commandoes to Mumbai and were ready to join the operations, assist, even neutralise the terrorists if the swap was agreed to. Another said that a VVIP team of American bizmen were trapped in the hotel and then rescued. The list is endless.
In the meantime in a bizarre twist of fate, the Govt of India and the political party in power decided to pull out all stops to protect Pakistan – albeit not officially – and even released books and trying to blame RSS, Hindu organisations etc. But for the fact that Ajmal Kasab was caught and the then Govt of India did not even have a fig leaf of protection it is entirely conceivable that this attack like many others would have been blamed on internal elements and Pakistan protected fully.
The testimony of folks like David Headley, his romance with the glitterati of Mumbai in the months prior to the 26/11 attack and much more are facts that have been white washed selectively. This led to some bizarre whitewashing actions much later by those who had been accused of involvement with Headly.
The tragic and insensitive episode involving the then Chief Minister of Kerala when he visited the home of Major Unnikrishnan who had laid down his life in the attack was symptomatic of everything that was wrong with the Indian polity of the day.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/kerala-cm-insults-slain-majors-dad/articleshow/3781262.cms
The following opinion pieces need to be read, and as I often say, the opinions expressed by the authors can be ignored, but there is a trove of other factual information within, that point to the (lack of) actions by the then Govt. of India and also the kind of diversionary tactics employed. THIS was the cruelest cut that any Govt could hoist on its own people. No country, that has been the target of a terrorist attack will try to sacrifice themselves to protect the “enemy” who attacked them, but this was India’s definition of “The world is one family”.
Meanwhile the American Govt was conducting senate hearings immediately after the attack and during 2009 and publishing these reports. A cursory reading shows how they took these attacks more seriously than India.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-111shrg49484/html/CHRG-111shrg49484.htm
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg49944/html/CHRG-111hhrg49944.htmWhile the jury is still out on whether India could have taken suitable action to convey a message and what that action could have been, the undisputable fact is that India took no action. In fact however sanitised the following joint statement in 2009, the hidden messages are stark. India expects nothing but willing to give anything.
https://mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/4855/Joint+Statement+Prime+Minister+of+India+Dr+Manmohan+Singh+and+the+Prime+Minister+of+Pakistan+Syed+Yusuf+Raza+GilaniAt this same meeting the Indian PM committed an unpardonable blunder as reported here. That within 7 months an Indian PM could even remotely hint at such a thing boggles the imagination. Even a 5 year old caught with his hands in the cookie jar will feign all ignorance of the matter.
https://www.indiatoday.in/latest-headlines/story/mammohan-singhs-balochistan-blunder-52425-2009-07-20Recall how a former chief of ISI and RAW teamed up to write a book and the Indian establishment led by former PM Manmohan Singh released it?. Recall how former PM’s Morarji Desai and IK Gujral acted in such matters?. Read the various news reports below and even while ignoring opinions expressed, the facts stated cannot be ignored. Those snippets are what the reader must use to make their own opinions with an open mind.
The tragedy of India since time immemorial is that for all the bravado we exhibit, those within hobnob with the enemies of the country in a utopian fantasy dance drama of idealism and delusion.
Author: Ravindra Vasisht can be reached on Twitter: @rvasisht
Credit: Republished with permission from author
Source: https://rvasisht.blogspot.com/2021/11/2611-memories-and-analysis-final-part.html
