Comments on: Sixty Hours of Terror: “No Hostages Should Remain Alive” http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/ A National Blog of Literature & Discussion Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:20:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Gaurav Singh http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/#comment-3685 Gaurav Singh Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:17:45 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=3984#comment-3685 @sridhar - Terrorism is not a major issue in Indian elections. Development, Secularism and Social equality are. We are a functioning democracy - our issues are different from the West. More people die in India due to hunger and malnutrition than through terror acts. Though middle class people like myself are horrified by such attacks and want better security, the same does not hold true in the case of the poor - for them every day is a struggle. And vote buying doesn't happen at a large scale - it used to - but Indians today realise that a good government promises them a better future. Please don't indulge in sweeping generalisations. @sridhar – Terrorism is not a major issue in Indian elections. Development, Secularism and Social equality are. We are a functioning democracy – our issues are different from the West.
More people die in India due to hunger and malnutrition than through terror acts. Though middle class people like myself are horrified by such attacks and want better security, the same does not hold true in the case of the poor – for them every day is a struggle.
And vote buying doesn’t happen at a large scale – it used to – but Indians today realise that a good government promises them a better future. Please don’t indulge in sweeping generalisations.

]]> By: sridhar http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/#comment-3678 sridhar Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:45:26 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=3984#comment-3678 Hi, I live in US and feel secure. US has done a good job after 9/11. That is because the most powerful democracy in the world is also most responsive to the demands of the situation. The same cannot be said about India which is a "non-functioning" democracy. Votes are easily bought. Politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt. There is mis-management at every level. Still, somehow the country miraculously keeps going. I think that is because the average man is courageous as the respose to Mumbai attack shows. Ordinary people showed extra-ordinary courage. I read a news item in NY times that 1 year after this incidence, Mumbai and India have not gone through the security changes that US went thr' after 9/11. This is very concerning. Another attack like this is waiting to happen. Kudos to the writer in writing this riveting piece. Hi,
I live in US and feel secure. US has done a good job after 9/11. That is because the most powerful democracy in the world is also most responsive to the demands of the situation.
The same cannot be said about India which is a “non-functioning” democracy. Votes are easily bought. Politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt. There is mis-management at every level.
Still, somehow the country miraculously keeps going. I think that is because the average man is courageous as the respose to Mumbai attack shows. Ordinary people showed extra-ordinary courage.
I read a news item in NY times that 1 year after this incidence, Mumbai and India have not gone through the security changes that US went thr’ after 9/11. This is very concerning. Another attack like this is waiting to happen.
Kudos to the writer in writing this riveting piece.

]]> By: Gaurav Singh http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/#comment-3622 Gaurav Singh Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:26:35 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=3984#comment-3622 It is the first time that I've heard about how Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan was matyred. All news agencies reported that he went to fight alone telling his men to stay back. The details of what happened after that were not known. How did you get the precise details of how he was shot considering that he was alone at the time? Was there an eyewitness to this incident? Also was there coordination between the NSG combing the floors and the CCTV control room during the Taj operation ? Maybe that would have helped locate the gunmen sooner. I heard reports that the room was destroyed in the fire. Is this true ? It is the first time that I’ve heard about how Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan was matyred. All news agencies reported that he went to fight alone telling his men to stay back. The details of what happened after that were not known. How did you get the precise details of how he was shot considering that he was alone at the time? Was there an eyewitness to this incident?
Also was there coordination between the NSG combing the floors and the CCTV control room during the Taj operation ? Maybe that would have helped locate the gunmen sooner. I heard reports that the room was destroyed in the fire. Is this true ?

]]> By: Praveen Ojha http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/#comment-3616 Praveen Ojha Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:15:28 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=3984#comment-3616 Well, its for everyone to see who was responsible for this carnage. US has its interest in not twisting pakistan's hand too much but they know it too well that had pakistan wished, they could easily bring the perpatrators to justice. Instead Hafiz saeed, the chief of Lashkar is a free man since the paki courts did not find any evidence. But sadly, India wants the US to fight its war. That will not happen. The response to this carnage was nil from India. Till date its all about diplomatic haggling at various international conferences about bringing those responsible to justice. Havent we Indians learnt that Pakistan will never change and will continue being a terrorist disneyland? They have two-timed US, a country which provides their bread and butter in aid feeds its impoverished people then why will they ever heed to us? India must take the fight to its enemies and develop a political will to fight its own war. Pre-emptive strike is the call of the hour. Our intelligence system knows too well of all Lashkar locations. Action must be covert and diplomacy must be overt. Well, its for everyone to see who was responsible for this carnage. US has its interest in not twisting pakistan’s hand too much but they know it too well that had pakistan wished, they could easily bring the perpatrators to justice. Instead Hafiz saeed, the chief of Lashkar is a free man since the paki courts did not find any evidence. But sadly, India wants the US to fight its war. That will not happen. The response to this carnage was nil from India. Till date its all about diplomatic haggling at various international conferences about bringing those responsible to justice. Havent we Indians learnt that Pakistan will never change and will continue being a terrorist disneyland? They have two-timed US, a country which provides their bread and butter in aid feeds its impoverished people then why will they ever heed to us? India must take the fight to its enemies and develop a political will to fight its own war.
Pre-emptive strike is the call of the hour. Our intelligence system knows too well of all Lashkar locations. Action must be covert and diplomacy must be overt.

]]> By: Lorraine Berry http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/#comment-3611 Lorraine Berry Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:24:10 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=3984#comment-3611 I cannot imagine what those of you who were there that night went through. Thank you for being willing to talk about it here. I cannot imagine what those of you who were there that night went through. Thank you for being willing to talk about it here.

]]> By: VQR reader http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/#comment-3609 VQR reader Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:33:32 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=3984#comment-3609 After almost a year, today some questions are being answered by this detailed report...as to what was happening in the Taj Mahal Palace wing...I was there that night and was shot at...having personally lived through the terror all night till a frightening escape next day morning and many months of sleepless nights reliving, hearing the terror stricken voices of hostages and wondering about the timeline as it related to my room on the 4th floor....this is good work and hopefully will help in saving lives in future. After almost a year, today some questions are being answered by this detailed report…as to what was happening in the Taj Mahal Palace wing…I was there that night and was shot at…having personally lived through the terror all night till a frightening escape next day morning and many months of sleepless nights reliving, hearing the terror stricken voices of hostages and wondering about the timeline as it related to my room on the 4th floor….this is good work and hopefully will help in saving lives in future.

]]> By: VQR reader http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/#comment-3604 VQR reader Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:17:16 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=3984#comment-3604 This write-up is very detail oriented - hopefully this will help law enforcement folks in India clean up their act and be more responsive to the needs of the poor citizens. Rather than spending billions on missiles, give our anti terrorist squad the right weapons and training to fight these deadly terrorists. Get training from US, Isreal if needed. Cut the redtape and move fast.... Our prayers go to the brave Indian commandoes and innocent victims, both Indians and guests of India - hope their deaths are not in vain. This write-up is very detail oriented – hopefully this will help law enforcement folks in India clean up their act and be more responsive to the needs of the poor citizens. Rather than spending billions on missiles, give our anti terrorist squad the right weapons and training to fight these deadly terrorists. Get training from US, Isreal if needed. Cut the redtape and move fast….

Our prayers go to the brave Indian commandoes and innocent victims, both Indians and guests of India – hope their deaths are not in vain.

]]> By: Lorraine Berry http://www.vqronline.org/blog/2009/11/18/2611-hostages/#comment-3603 Lorraine Berry Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:33:25 +0000 http://www.vqronline.org/blog/?p=3984#comment-3603 This has inspired another blog post <a href="http://open.salon.com/blog/fingerlakeswanderer/2009/11/18/mumbai_no_hostages_part_iii_vqr" rel="nofollow">here</a>. I am trying to understand why. But all I can see in my head is the terrorized faces of the hostages. This has inspired another blog post here. I am trying to understand why. But all I can see in my head is the terrorized faces of the hostages.

]]>