Sole for soul!

Politicians are at it again, playing their dirty games as usual! First it was blame game in which politicians of all hues blamed each other for the shortcomings and mistakes in handling the Mumbai terror attacks. Thereafter they started taking credits of handling past incidents successfully forgetting the lives lost in those incidents. 13th December came and went and barring few leaders (who understandably could not be elsewhere on that day) no one came to pay tribute to those brave security personnel who lost their lives so that politicians hiding inside the parliament that day could once again play their dirty games today!

Now they are playing the 'Vote Bank Game' very earnestly! The age at which the sanity becomes questionable in person, there is a minister making statements which can not be even laughed as they are coming from the ‘right honorable mouth’ of the distinguished minister whose singular distinction is that he has done sweet nothing about the minorities though he had ingenious ways to deal with cement!

When Society needs balm on recent wounds, these politicians are sprinkling chilly powder and to make it worse, they claim it to be the right medicine. In the name of votes they can stoop to any depths. They have no ‘soul’, it is known to us. But people have ‘soles’, this has been proven very recently at a heavy price which Bush had to pay recently.

There is nothing wrong in asking the questions about the death of Late Hemant Karkare and others. The security experts have been asking similar questions since the very first day, but, the way Anatule has questioned is itself questionable. His question is not in pursuit of the truth but the votes. Otherwise he shouldn’t have linked it to Hindus and the Malegaon Case.

It is part of Indian culture not to criticize some one who is no more to defend himself. But, in the case of security and armed forces, if past botched-up operations are not examined thread bare, no lessons will ever be learnt! This post-event examination involves analyzing the deeds or misdeeds of deceased.

Yes, there is need for inquiry about the circumstances in which Karkare, Kamte and Saluskar were killed! There are many questions needed to be answered. For instance there are following questions for which correct answers must be found –

1. Kamte was notorious to always keep loaded AK 47 on the floor of his car. Salaskar was sharp shooter known to always move fully prepared. Karkare was extremely efficient officer known to move with full compliment of security! But when all three met their nemesis…

2. The sequence of action leading to deaths of Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar needs to be done in right earnestness then only we will come to know why all three of the traveled in one vehicle to the place of their encounter if they came from three different places and assembled at one location?

3. We all repeatedly saw a TV footage in which Karkare was unhurriedly putting on a helmet, but, this footage obviously is of different place and time. What about others? One wonders where their helmets were if not in the Qualis in which they were traveling or on their bodies

4. What happened to their bullet-proof jackets? Were they not supposed to be using them? What was the past practice followed by them individually. Indications are that they always came prepared with weapon, bullet-proof jackets, helmets and what it takes! Why is it then that they all were ill prepared on that fateful night?

5. At least two out of the three slain cops were sanctioned their personal security contingent moving in the separate vehicles in addition to the PSOs they were permitted. How is it that all three sat in one vehicle and their escorts did not follow in their respective vehicles?

6. Today even the Director General of Home Guards move with AK-47 wielding commandos! On the contrary, Shri Hemant Karkare was not only DG level officer but also the chief of ATS. He was under death threat too! As per threat perception as practice of ATS he was always with PSO if not more security at certain times. Was it present at the time of his death? If yes, why this is not reported so far, and, if not, why not?

7. If the escorting security contingents of DG and DIG level officers are asked not to follow then there must be very cogent reasons which these officers must have conveyed to them. These need to be ascertained and verified.

8. If they were no such reasons conveyed to the escorting security contingent then why they did not follow the officers? If for some inexplicable reasons they could not follow the officers, what was done by these contingents and what should have been done as per SOP?

The conspiracy theory depends only on one assumption that for some reasons all three or at least Karkare will be lured to reach Cama Hospital where there will be an ambush by the terrorists hiding behind the bushes. Poor Anatule and his supporters such as Digvijay and others don’t even know the details of the fast paced sequence of events and changing venue of the dramas unfolding that night!

Not even for few seconds events were under the control of security forces or the terrorists! Thinking that in such situation, the plot previously hatched to eliminate Karkare could have been so perfectly executed is sheer foolishness. If any one thinks it was possible, he deserves to be dressed in straight jacket serving his time in a lunatic asylum!

There are however silent murmurs that all three slain cops, throwing all cautions in the wind, rushed-in carelessly to the scene of their encounter, ill prepared and least expecting the kind of attacks they came under! It is said in hushed manner that all three somehow realized that their presence at all the sites of attacks will boost the morale of their force and since they were facing the terrorists holed inside the buildings they were under no apparent threats while on the road.

Let’s have the inquiry to found out the truth since it is said, “Speak the truth and shame the devil!” Devil here is in the shape of Anatules and his ilk!