[Assam] Of Hostage Crisis and Counter - Sentinel Letter

[Ram Sarangapani]

Here is a letter from KJD in today's Sentinel.

In generally agreeing with KJD, I would also like to add that many of us
seem to forget that just because one may believe there is an incompetent
government entity or police force, they ought not to be patting the
insurgents on the back (for having got the better of the govt.).

There are two distinct sides to this issue. One is that there ought to be
wholesale condemnation against such kidnappings. The second is the role of
the police or adminsitration to getting hostages released.

If these hostages were *NOT* kidnapped in the first place, they would not
have been killed, would they?

I am not sure that the Govt. of India has even a standing policy on hostage
negotiations or negotiations with terrorists. Each successive GOI
administration seems to have, what one might call a  *policy on the fly*.
They seem to make up policies on these critical issues as they go along.
That apparently gives terrorists and other such elements the idea that its a
free for all.

India needs to take strong lessons from countries like China, Russia, and
Israel in formulating tough policies against terrorists.

--Ram
*_______________________________________*
*Of Hostage Crisis and Counter*
J P Rajkhowa's article entitled "The Goof behind a Bizarre Encounter" (The
Sentinel, July 15, 2007) reminds me of an old Assamese adage — ''borokhun
gole japi'' — the loose translation of which in English would be ''to lock
the barn house after the horse has bolted'. Invariably, as an incident as PC
Ram's comes to an end, the columnists of all hues, who normally would not
even open their windows at the time of a simple riot, let alone camp at the
site of encounters, begin advancing their pet theories forthwith by heaping
calumny of the failures of the police department. It seems to be the case of
rushing to judgement before all the information, pertinent to the incident,
are out in the open. Should we not suspend our judgment until, and if at
all, all the facts are presented by an independent party?
I must say that this piece is not intended to belittle the earnestness of Mr
Rajkhowa to highlight the inadequacy of the police department. On the
opposite end of the spectrum, the cops are faced with the bizarre situation
of ''damned if you do, damned if you do not''.
In the event of a hostage crisis, the administration of the day may not be
able to save the lives of hostages every time, but each country has the
option of not compromising with the demands of the terrorists.
Unfortunately, that seems not to be the case with India. Remember how the
Indian Government safely escorted two dreaded terrorists, Masood Azahar and
Mustaque Zagar, to Afghanistan in December 1999 in the hijacking case of an
Indian airliner, and how the government unconditionally conceded to the
demands of the terrorists in the kidnapping of Rubbiya Sayeed in Jammu &
Kashmir in November 1989?
Compare India's response to Russia's reaction to the Chechen hostage crisis
at the Palace of Culture a few years ago. There were 900 hostages. Even so,
Kremlin made only one counter-offer — that the lives of the jehadis would be
spared if they freed the hostages. Eventually, Kremlin had its special force
to gas them, killing all the jehadis along with 170 hostages but saved more
than 700 lives. The message that the Russians had sent to the terrorists
was: ''Don't try to mess with us.''
By the way, have any of those who regularly grumble against police failures,
ever seen the police barrack? I wonder!
Kamaljit Deka,
Sugarland, Texas.
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