Comments on: The tiffinwalla approach to fighting terror

By: Manish Vij

Manish Vij — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 23:24:10 +0000

doug saunders with the globe and mail is one man who opens a new window for me every week.

That window is fogged up:

Then you turn on a much narrower dirt lane, most of its surface a thick mud of filth and excrement. The houses here are tiny squares of dirty brick, with corrugated fibreglass sheets slapped on top as roofs. Most don't have doors. His home occupies two rooms, and has sheets of plywood for a floor. Visitors would call this the worst sort of slum, a malarial shantytown. In Mumbai, however, it's considered a middle-class neighbourhood.

Um, no, that's not called middle class here.

By: Manish Vij

Manish Vij — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 22:41:51 +0000

as a gut reaction, I'm inclined to protest that statement, but could you please explain what you mean?

Why widen the drains? Just send someone at 300 rupees/day to clean them by hand.

Why resurface the roads? Just have someone fill in the potholes every monsoon season.

Why build a garbage chute? Just have a kachrawalla (garbage person) collect it from your house every morning.

Why build a credit reputation system? Just have someone show up at your house to collect money from you.

And on and on...

By: hairy_d

hairy_d — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 20:47:50 +0000

doug saunders with the globe and mail is one man who opens a new window for me every week. i come away enriched and enthralled. this week he covered the aftermath of the blasts in mumbai; offered canadians a window into mumbai.

There are deep wells of resentment. Muslims resent the police, as well as the still-potent Hindu nationalists, for making them less equal. Those without water -- and this week, it was announced that water shortages were plaguing huge swaths of the city -- resent those who can afford to wash. And everyone resents the city authorities, for making this the world's largest experiment in pure, state-of-nature laissez-faire capitalism -- not out of ideology, but simply because the city is too corrupt and too incompetent to provide a small city's worth of resources to a large nation's worth of people packed on a tiny island.

he uses the tiffin-wallahs and their life as a snapshot of the city's workings. read on.

By: SP

SP — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 16:31:39 +0000

The only option, it seems to me, is to install better security at ALL station entrances and exits. Local train stations in Bombay are much too unsecured, sometimes the entrance seems like just another alleyway in a crowded neighbourhood, anyone can walk in and out. Yes, it will take a huge financial and infrastructural outlay, but don’t we deserve it? Isn’t it about time that the system was upgraded anyway since it was not supposed to carry so many peple to begin with.

By: Neha

Neha — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 23:23:14 +0000

True say.

By: Ennis

Ennis — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 23:13:35 +0000

Very interesting. Still, once the accomplice claims the bomb, then the accomplice has to leave with the bomb or be on the train when the bomb explodes.

Same article implies that the men and woman involved were not ideological zealots, and so they did not want to be on board when the explosion occurred:

An investigating officer said the mastermind recruited the couriers with the lure of money and brainwashed them. The couriers were dressed in formal attire with the men wearing ties to look like typical first-class commuters. They concealed the bombs in black suitcases.

By: Neha

Neha — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 23:05:36 +0000

How much would watching out for a bag without an owner have helped in this case? Update on the bomb transport procedure, from DNA:

Police believe they planted the bombs after boarding the trains at Churchgate station and alighted at Bombay Central and Dadar stations. "They acted in pairs to avoid arousing suspicion," the officer said. "The one bearing the suitcase got off at Bombay Central and the other at Dadar. If an alert passenger asked the one who got off at Bombay Central why he was leaving his suitcase behind, the accomplice would have claimed to be the owner of the suitcase."

By: KyaMaloom

KyaMaloom — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 21:06:49 +0000

Great discussion and post, Ennis. You are right in saying that we need to look for a solution that is Indian enough to work. The bombs were planted in first class compartments – possibly because in the regular/second class compartments it is virtually impossible to carry any bags with you during rush hour. This incident is going to make people a lot more aware of their fellow passengers and unattendted baggage. I am confident that and the new security measures will make terrorists less likely to repeat a train bomb. The question is what will their next target be..Most major hotels, shopping malls and theaters have no security to speak off.

By: Laks

Laks — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:51:27 +0000

And it wont stop a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his or her clothes.

In the jam packed Mumbai railway stations, a suicide bomber would automatically explode even before he/she gets a chance to step into the train. I think suicide bombing can only be done by carrying the bomb in his/her suitcases. That could be the only loophole that can be exploited by Suicide bombers. because in Mumbai trains, one can feel another man’s ribs against ur arms

By: voiceinthehead

voiceinthehead — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:05:18 +0000

There is no way to effectively counter terrorism without improving ( bring transperancy, accountability & professionalism) into the entire law enforcement infrastructure. Any other piecemeal approach is a waste of time and gives a false sense of security. It is time some one

If you can get arrest warrants issued against the president and cheif justice for INR 40k and fake driver’s license for the same amount. http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/04/28/stories/2004042800801500.htm