Maharashtra Police Chief Supports Israel-Type Action Against Terror

Mumbai Police Commissioner D. Shivanandan is of the opinion that India lacks the inclination to act immediately against terror actions, and suggests that India should learn a lesson from Israel, which acts immediately as soon as a terror action takes place. It is not very difficult to understand to what the Mumbai police commissioner is eluding, and with what inclination.

Knowledge of History
It is strange that in a state of Maharashtra, which is ruled by the Congress party, a person holding an important office of police commissioner is neither aware of the legal limits of his statement, nor appears to have any knowledge of history. Shivanandan has also said in his statement "We have rendered ourselves worthless and watching terrorist attacks helplessly for thousands of years. We never went out to fight anyone in retaliation. This is what our problem is." Shivanandan feels India somewhere lacks the killer instinct.

The police commissioner feels that the standards established to act in response to a terrorist attack lack that killer instinct needed by it. It also reflects his venomous way of thinking. He has lauded Israel for taking immediate action against an act of terrorism, but a majority of the world population thinks Israel to be guilty of terrorism. Even Israel's mentor and master, US President Barack Hussein Obama had recently said that Israel was responsible for the inhuman conditions prevailing in Gaza Strip. It appears that Shivanandan is not even aware of the fact that it was the confrontation between European terrorism and Zionist terrorism that was largely responsible for Israel's creation.

Helplessly Watching Terrorist Attacks
Unfortunately, Arab nations got all the blame and bad name for it. Palestinians were rendered homeless in their own land. They were labeled terrorists and the struggle for independence by Palestinians was termed terrorism.

Shivanandan says that for thousands of years, India has been helplessly watching terrorist attacks. What does he actually imply by it? If he takes the attacks made by foreign countries for expansion of their domain as terrorist attacks and brings Islamic or European invaders in the line of fire as terrorists, such a definition of terrorism would encompass all those states that existed in undivided India which fought with one another for lust of power and the enmity and anarchy created by these rulers were utilized fully by foreign invaders.

Need for National Unity
In fact, the issue is not that we Indians never went out to invade and attack others for thousands of years, but the basic issue is that we continue to get divided on religious, communal, and ethnic lines. It is also a problem that we view our national issues with a jaundiced eye of communalism and bigotry. In this way in the false pride of patriotism, we continued to bring national unity to tatters.

National unity is essential for the integrity of any country. In fact, Shivanandan is attempting to view terrorism under his specific mentality. While referring to the history of thousands of years, he has easily forgotten Nathu Ram Godse and Sadhvi Pragya Thakur.

The Israeli Approach
When Shivanandan terms the Israeli approach as immediate action against terrorism, he has not seen the faces of oppressed Palestinians. He talks of lack of killer instinct, but forgot the country's history. He has also forgotten that despite the best peace loving instinct, when the time to emancipate the country from the shackles of slavery came, Indians, irrespective of religion, caste, or creed demonstrated that killer instinct to the full, and through it attained independence for the country.

In fact, Shivanandan's statement is not a statement made by a responsible police officer, but it appears more a statement by a person who has a particular bent of mind and venomous mode of thinking. It is the Maharashtra government's duty to take serious note of this statement.