Terror attack

The only positives one has seen after Wednesday’s Mumbai blasts are:

1. The considerably improved reaction time of the Mumbai, Maharashtra and Central authorities, including the Anti-Terrorism Squad, the police, the forensic laboratories and the home ministry.

2. The information flow and handling of the media, starting from the press conference by the Home Minister P Chidambaram, helped squelch rumours in the initial hours after the blasts. The minister was calm and measured, polite to a fault, refusing to get badgered by an aggressive media.

3. Despite a few leaks suggesting that someone had been arrested, the home minister consciously lowered expectations of a quick break-through, saying that the investigations would take time, and no one should expect quick results.

It’s easy to slide into despondency and easier still to fly into a rage and rant against the government after an incident such as the blasts in Mumbai.

As is natural, the rage and frustration translates into negative comments and destructive criticism – which the government reacts to on the defensive. The opposition, whichever the party concerned, takes advantage of the predicament of the government in power, calling for resignations, calling the government ineffective, and generally grandstanding and politicking.

The police, the intelligence agencies and the home minister are tied to whipping posts, at the mercy of all who care to whip them.