Mosques lead attack on terror
From Friday, the old, rusty loudspeakers atop the numerous mosques in Mumbai's far-flung northern suburb Mira Road started beaming a distinctly new message.
Before and after each azaan or prayer, imams of at least 24 of the 30-odd local mosques are asking residents to report suspicious terror-linked activity to either the mosque authorities or the police.
With the tremors of 31 bombings in Gujarat and Karnataka in the last two months still being felt across the nation, Mira Road, usually in the news for drinking water crises, has had a bigger reason to worry.
While all l6 suspects in these bombings are Muslims, Mira Road has housed the A-League of suspects like prime accused in the 11/7 Mumbai train blasts Asif Khan and Ehtesham Siddique and Ahmedabad serial blasts key suspect techie Abdul Subhan.
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Before and after each azaan or prayer, imams of at least 24 of the 30-odd local mosques are asking residents to report suspicious terror-linked activity to either the mosque authorities or the police.
With the tremors of 31 bombings in Gujarat and Karnataka in the last two months still being felt across the nation, Mira Road, usually in the news for drinking water crises, has had a bigger reason to worry.
While all l6 suspects in these bombings are Muslims, Mira Road has housed the A-League of suspects like prime accused in the 11/7 Mumbai train blasts Asif Khan and Ehtesham Siddique and Ahmedabad serial blasts key suspect techie Abdul Subhan.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com
Labels: Ahmedabad serial blasts, anti terrorism, attack, Hadis, imams, Islam, Mira Road, mosques, Mumbai, Muslims, prayer, suspects, terror
posted by PressMart Team at
10:23 AM
2 Comments:
Good thoughts is what makes a man and society better. I appreciate the Imam's concern. Hoping this fire and desire be ignited throughout our country.
This is a real life story of one such concern and good thought.
After celebrating Independence Day with my daughter, this is her first Independence Day celebration, in the morning; I left home for my office. I reached Kanjur Marg station, on my way I found a group of boys who were pinning our tricolor label on people’s shirt which these boys tried on me saying “you can pay me something for this as you wish.” I told if I don’t pay is that okay with you. He pinned me that tricolor label and gave a smile with a cold look and I made myself to the platform. It was not about paying him but I just don’t want to encourage this trend.
I got a 12 car rake CST bound afternoon train. As I was about to board the first class compartment of the train, I saw a man getting down hurriedly and running in the same direction as the train and other people watching him. Thinking that it would have been some trivial matter, I ignored it and went inside and made myself comfortable inside the compartment. The day was not that usual or nor it was as it should have been in a normal Friday, as it was Independence Day. There were fewer passengers inside the compartment that I could easily maneuver and choose a better seat. I felt something fishy about what is going on as I sat on the seat facing the door of the compartment. Most of the passengers sitting inside the compartment were gazing towards the door, some up, and I saw the same person back again getting into the train as the train whisked towards the other station. As a usual practice, I opened my bag to get the book to read. All this time, I was feeling some uneasiness surrounded inside the compartment. I opened my book and went to the page that I last read. At that time, out of curiosity I asked the passenger “what is the matter?” This passenger was sitting in front of me, little perturbed, but still listening to the music through the headphone, which was hanging over his neck, also looking toward the door. He replied to me that there is a jacket on the luggage rack which he believe someone had forgotten, on asking to whom this belong to, no one had come forward to own it. Since it was an Independence Day and the recent events, which had recently happened in different part of our country of serial bomb blast, this folded jacket on the luggage rack had all the reason to be panicked. I thought rather than being panicked I got to be alert and it is my moral responsibility and duty to do something about it and alert the security personnel. I saw the same sense of responsibility in the man who got down the train and ran and again boarded the train. His name was Santosh Lingayat.
As Michael Herman in one of his book quoted “you change your attitude, you change your thinking. At this time, I decided to put my thoughts into action. I closed my book and kept it inside the bag and moved towards the door where Mr. Santosh was eagerly waiting for the next station, Vikhroli, to arrive. On questioning what had happened, he said to me about that folded jacket lying unattended on the luggage rack and he got down at Kanjur Marg station to find a security personnel or policeman, but he found none at the station. Now, he will try and search other policemen posted at Vikhroli station. I got a sense that this young man is empowered and had all what is needed to be a true concerned citizen of India. I too got into the act. Now we were two of them who have this grandiose target to alert the policeman about this unattended folded jacket. Also here what I observed about the fewer passengers who was on board the train was that they were not much concerned but yes little worried and panicked and also desiring to have some policeman check this jacket. One of which was I think a newly married couple sitting anxiously on the far corner of the compartment. There was also this Punjabi father and his little son of may be 8 or 9 years old about to get down and standing near the door, who was instructing and conversing with Santosh. There was this guy from whom I initially got to know about the whole thing. He was like a bindass kinda mumbaikar but as I said he was too perturbed and also unperturbed. There were other people also with an attitude as if nothing will happen but at the same time talking with their fellow passengers in hush-hush. Some with an attitude like “been there seen all.” Everyone who was seated and standing had this uneasiness gripped into them which can be seen on their anxious face.
The train was about to enter Vikhroli station and me and Santosh both began to search with our opened eyes for policeman or any security personnel posted at the station. The search was unique as it was with a purpose for a greater good. We found no policeman posted on platform No. 2 of Vikhroli station on our search. One of the passenger got down at this time. He too was anxious and said “there is no one out here” and made his way to the staircase. Now, I went to opposite door to see if I could find anyone on platform No. 1. To my felicity, I found this station masters office right at the door of our compartment at platform No. 1. I found there one ticket controller posted, I clamored to him to send a policeman and inform someone at the next station to come and attend this compartment. The train had already started moving while I was saying this to him.
The train had moved from the station on its way to the next station, Ghatkopar. The anxiety and also the eagerness were all at the same time getting intense. During this time, Santosh started questioning about the efficiency of railway police, as he was the one who was doing all the hardship to alert the police and also to my information there are already two station passed with no glimpse of railway police. As the train entered Ghatkopar station, our eyes glittered to see two policeman posted at the start of the platform. We shouted to them to come and attend our compartment, as the train was getting slow but sill moving and there was no way we could narrate the whole thing. Moreover, there was an unsaid instruction that was followed by both of us and so by the other passengers of not alerting anyone by signaling of a probable bomb inside the compartment. This I appreciated about the mumbaikars of not panicking the general public unnecessarily. Our compartment was in the middle of the train, so if the policeman has to reach to our compartment they have to make headway ASAP to reach us. We could see that hearing us they have made the initial reaction of getting up and moving albeit in a laggard fashion. The train has now come to a halt at the station and we were looking in anticipation towards the police so that they could come and check the jacket or do the necessary arrangement. We found that they were way behind with no urgency to reach us, so we started looking for any other police deployed in the platform. To our dismay, we found none and were really concerned about the apathy of those police personnel. At this station, some passengers now got into the train, a little amused as to what is going on and also enquiring with other fellow passengers about the details of the whole thing. Also the Punjabi duo of father and son now got down, helping us also on our failed search of finding any security guard in the vicinity.
Now the train had started from Ghatkopar on its way to Vidyavihar. Santosh at this time has become more irritated and infuriated about not having any security person to check on the unattended folded jacket lying on the luggage rack as was I. He started abusing their morality and irresponsible duty. During this journey towards Vidyavihar, I saw one person who seems to be a businessman chattering with the other passenger sitting near the window and muttering in Hindi “why they are running here and there, it is just about pulling the alert chain.” Alert chain is fixed in our local trains just above the window which one can make use of to alert the motorman. About this person, I found that he was witty and he himself does not want to take the pain of doing what is needed and wanted. As the train was reaching Vidyavihar station, I informed (read ordered) this man, to pull the chain himself which is above his head. Now being chagrined, he stood and pulled the chain with all his vigor. As the train had already come to a halt at the station, the motorman seemed to have got the alarm and raised the hooter thrice to alert the security. The train was halted for nearly 30 seconds at the station but not a single guard or police could be seen or arrived to help us get over our anxiety. In a normal situation, our local train only halts for not more than 8 seconds.
Now, the train made his way slowly from Vidyavihar to Kurla station. The failure to find any police had made all the passengers a little worried, as while at the Vidyavihar station I saw people checking out of the window and enquiring about the arrival of any police personnel. The couple who were sitting at the far corner was also biting their teeth restlessly, fearing the unknown. The brave thing was that no one got down of the train to get another train and the bad thing was no one got up to do the needful. One could see the sense of purpose in Santosh’s face and his attitude. He was too restless but did not want give up. I said to myself, if we could not find any police at the next station, I would get down and alert the station master of Kurla about this episode. As train reached Kurla station, we saw two policemen standing at the very start of the platform as we saw it in Ghatkopar. At this time, as we don’t want to miss them, we both screamed and told them to check on to our compartment. As the train was about to stop, we saw this two policemen making their way towards our compartment. As the train stopped, I saw a ticket controller, Mr. Rai, who I also happened to know, and we wasted no time and informed him about this folded jacket lying unattended. He at once took his mobile and called the station masters office. Before he could complete his conversation, I found this guard with a stick of around 4 feet in his hand followed by those policemen marching towards our compartment. As they reached our compartment, Mr. Rai, informed them about the thing lying there so do we in unison. The motormen also seemed to be intelligent and may have known about the seriousness of the issue and have halted the train to help guard complete his job. The guard with the other two policemen entered the compartment. With the best clinical precision, he frisked the jacket to make sure there is nothing inside it. Fortunately, to all our relief, there was nothing in the jacket that we were all worried about. The jacket was of some of the fellow passenger who forgot to take it along with him/her before getting down.
As the guard took down the jacket away from the luggage rack into his custody, I could see a sigh of relief in the face of all the passengers seated and standing. This feeling can be compared to the feeling of a trainee paraglider who touches base after the first time he is dropped from atop. The guard then took that jacket in his possession and got down the train feeling stoutheartedness for shouldering his responsibility properly. I thanked the guard and the policemen for their good work and also acknowledged Mr. Rai for supporting us and getting rid of the unwanted and uninvited angst in that space of our time. Mr. Rai too followed them I believe to the station masters office. The train then stood there for few seconds during which time there were other ticket controllers who gathered to know about the issue and started conversing among themselves. As I was standing on the platform before the train moved, I saw the passengers sitting inside in a jovial mood. The atmosphere has changed now inside the compartment. The silence and hush-hush conversation that was there before has now transformed into a loud, cheerful conversation with each and every people having something or other to say. The passengers who just boarded at Kurla where not that participative as many of them were clueless of what had happened. The train moved now and I got into the train and proceeded to the right hand side and sat on the seat facing the door. As I sat, I thought what a futile exercise it was and at which I was a little embarrassed, but I said to myself it was my moral duty to do what is needed and wanted at that point in time and I am happy about it. I started searching for the “hero of the time,” Santosh, and I found him standing near the door. I got up and went towards him to appreciate him for his timely interception and commendable job. The train reached Dadar and I got down feeling happy that passengers inside the train can now have a safe and peaceful journey. I waved to Santosh as the train started to its next destination.
Precisely, now you may be thinking how irresponsible and lethargic is our police force as it took such a long time to find a policeman to attend the object in question and that too on the occasion of Independence Day. Even I felt the same during that chaos, but it was the same police force that arrived and relieved us from that anguish. Yes, but that does not mean that the irresponsibility shown both with their presence and absence at the station should be accepted hands down. Our police force need to pull their socks up and do their best to secure us and take care of our safety. I am not here to blame fully our policemen. It is also we, the citizen of free India, should do what is needed to get rid of this menace and perform this duty accepting it as our responsibility. Most of them I observed during that journey was worried but does not want to come forward and stand up to do what is required of them. I believe it is not the policeman’s lethargy it is the lethargy of these people, it is the carelessness of the person who forgot this jacket and got down that had got everyone into unwanted trouble. We read everyday this message during our journey in bus and as well as in train to not touch unidentified object and be aware of your surroundings. We just read this and forget about it thinking it is not my job, it won’t happen to me, wherein we tend to ignore this sword hanging on our head. Do we really follow it? I feel no because if we would have followed it then we won’t have been a victim of 7/26 serial bomb blast. Even after that, we have not read our lesson properly. I believe if we as a concerned citizen act aptly then more or less we can eradicate our worse enemy, i.e., “terrorism.” It is just about being aware of the surrounding and there are various ways and methods, which we can do that. We need more people like Santosh in our society. This awareness and action must be inculcated by adapting, involving, and empowering ourselves towards this attitude, this thinking of a concerned citizen for safeguarding our surroundings. We need more people like Santosh in our society. I salute Santosh for his grit, courage, bravery, intelligence, morality, grandiosity, etc…
-- Prasad Subramaniam
Belonging to the state of Jammu & Kashmir, people here know and understand better than anyone else what it means to live in terror and to live with terror. It is true that it is only the mad and opinionated fringe of the society that is promoting terror in this otherwise heavenly state, all in the name of religion. We have seen with dismay and utter helplessness how this once prosperous and progressive state known the world over for mutual brotherhood and mutual love and trust, has gradually slided into the abyss of lawlessness and chaos.
It is all the more distressing that the spill-over of this religious fanaticism has now been visible for a few years in other parts of the country. One wouldn't be far off the mark if the Mumbai serial blasts of 1993 or Godhra pogrom in Gujrat that claimed many an innocent life, were to be finally linked to what has been happening in Kashmir over the past two decades or the poison that spilled over from the Ayodhya issue.
Ironically our regional as well as national leaders are not understanding the long-term consequences of this growing distrust between communities. This is both a national shame and a national tragedy that the leadership should either remain mute on the issue or should add fuel to the leaping flames of distrust, violence and bloodshed.
It is so heartening to see some progressive and well-meaning elements belonging to muslim community taking lead in isolating the merchants of death and destruction. Other communities should draw their lessons from this laudable initiative.
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