Blast of what?

 

#CoimbatoreBlast

It was on the eve of #Diwali at #Coimbatore.  We were going to see the film #Ponniyinselvan.  It was very late already, after the release of the film.  I was accompanied by my son and daughter. 

A Police man halted our car.  It had never happened in the near past.  Both I and my son in the front seat were wearing seat belts.  We were not sure whether the indication to stop was for us or for any vehicle coming behind us.  Anyway, I just slowed, veered to the left near the Police man and brought down the window glasses.  He peeped inside, looked into the car and hessitantly asked us where we were coming from.  When I asked what the issue was, he very reluctantly informed that it was a routine check because there was an explosion.  ‘It was a cylinder blast, but they (certain people) are trying to bring it under the category of a bomb blast’, he said with a small hesitation.  I had seen some twitter feed that morning about a cylinder blast, but had not taken further notice.  My son also said that he had seen it and that it had happened in #Ukkadam area of Coimbatore.  I told my son, ‘you sport a beard and hence they would have perhaps thought you are a muslim and hence wanted to check the car’.  ‘How can they differentiate between a hindu beard and a muslim beard,’ he asked jovially?

We moved on and later only after coming back from the movie, came to know that the DGP of the State had already arrived in Coimbatore and investigations had started. 

The initial reports were that it was a muslim youth who had died in the car explosion, the car had changed hands several times, that the explosion obviously had happened due to one of the two gas cylinders in the car exploding, some nails and glass balls which are usually used in bombs were seen strewn in the site of the blast,  it was not known whether it was a bomb blast, or whether the cylinder had blown off due to some mistake or was a suicide bomb attempt. 

Subsequent reports stated that on searching the house of the youth who had died, some items which were usually used in low intensity bombs were found and were seized. 

Some reports suggested that the person who had died in the blast had perhaps tried to avoid a police check post and due to some sudden break or jerk, the cylinder could have gone off.  Then some CCTV footage showed some others having helped him load some things from his house into the car and on being arrested, the 5 youngsters who were seen to have involved in the said operation had said that they had helped him shift his belongings to a new house.

These reports left some questions unanswered.  If the youngsters had only said that they helped him to shift his house, on what basis can they be arrested? When the youth who had died in the blast was residing in the same area, how could he have been taken aback by a police check post in the same area?

In the meanwhile the BJP had started creating issues that the investigation should be handed over to NIA because it was a suicide bombing and that there were terrorist organisation links.

Within 3 or 4 days of the blast, the CM decided after a meeting with high level officials of the state that the case was being handed over to NIA because it appeared that there were interstate links.

BJP and the Governor of the state accused the CM of having delayed handing over of the case to NIA.  However the bandh call given by BJP leaders for 31.10.2022 was called off after the TN unit President of the BJP Shri. Annamalai told the High Court of Madras in response to a case filed by the traders of Coimbatore that he had not given any call for bandh on the issue.

The whole episode reminds me of the incidents of 1997 and 1998 that happened in Coimbatore.

In November 1997, three youngsters belonging to the muslim community who came in a motor bike were stopped at Ukkadam by a Police Constable.  As a result of the altercation between them, the youngsters stabbed the Constable Shri. Selvaraj  to death.  People of the city were shocked that if even a Police personnel could be killed, what happens to the ordinary persons. The entire Police force in the city went mad due to the incident.   The Police withdrew from the streets of Coimbatore in protest and in the violence that ensued, some of the big establishments like #Shobhatextiles, #Ghaniradios, etc were burnt down overnight.  For more than two to three weeks there were groups roaming around in the areas of Ukkadam, Oppanakara Street, Selvapuram, Karumbukadai, etc brandishing weapons and several persons were killed during the time.  Most of the people killed (reportedly 18) belonged to the Muslim community.

The Muslim community retaliated on 14^th of February 1998 when a series of bombs starting with the venue of a meeting which was to be attended by no lesser a person than Shri. L.K.Advani, at R.S.Puram and covered various important and crowded spots like Railway Station, Government Hospital, a shopping complex at Gandhipuram, etc.  There were 58 deaths.  It was a Saturday and all the victims were hindus. For another two to three days, the entire R.S.Puram of Coimbatore (the most posh area in Coimbatore) was virtually living in fear of being blown off any moment because there was a Maruthi car parked in one of the streets there, with explosives and perhaps linked to some remote control.  Only after the anti-bomb squad took the vehicle and detonated it in the far off Madukkarai, the city could breathe peacefully – to some extent.  The episode sent shivers down the spine of not only the entire state but also the entire nation.  That an entire community could withdraw from such a massive terror operation created a deep divide in the psyche of the city. 

Whenever I think about the incident, one thought only has crossed my mind.  What if L.K.Advani had reached the venue on time?  (His flight had mercifully got delayed by over 30 mts).  The muslims all over India would have been butchered.  How foolish were the persons who had planned such a draconian act?  Will anyone even to a small extent bothered about the welfare of their own community at least, afford to be so foolish as this?

The entire Police Machinery swung into action and most of those involved in planting the bombs and planning it were brought to book.  Most of them are still cooling their heels in the jail and many have died or have been released on completion of their period of sentence and have become very old. 

All this had happened 24 years ago.

Now, some youngsters, obviously who had been toddlers during that episode, or perhaps were not even born then, appear to have formed into a group and appear to have planned an operation.  Whether it was amateurish as initial reports have been suggesting, whether they got training from elsewhere, etc would be revealed only in due course.  

The primary fact remains that some disgruntled youth have once again formed into a group with evil intend.  In fact, initial signals regarding a disgruntlement among the youth of the community and their organizing to indulge in terror activities had surfaced when some petrol bombs were thrown at select houses belonging to persons active in hindu political or social outfits.  The elders in the community have almost unanimously proclaimed that they were not aware of such tendencies among their youth and have denounced it.  That community itself appears to live under a great fear now.  Technology is something that enables to detect as well as deceive.  Hence investigations have started becoming complicated and  one would not quite know what even some-one sitting very near is really up to.

Why as a society we have not been able to stop this degeneration once again by the youth of a particular community is to be seriously addressed.

Instead of talking to the leaders of the community who are as a rule all very old in age, the administration of the state has to start engaging with the youth of the community and address their grievances or fears.  They cannot be allowed to fall into a trap of a terror network, whether self-styled or instigated from elsewhere.

Whoever knows the fragile nature of communal harmony or discord it can create when such issues are not handled with care, can appreciate how the Tamil Nadu Police and Coimbatore City Police have handled the issue – first without allowing fear to grip, or retaliation to happen and at the same time apprehending all those immediately seen to have been involved in the affair along with incriminating evidences and handing it over within 3 to 4 days to the NIA.  Of course, as some retired Officials suggested, if there had not been a hue and cry over the investigations, and expose of certain vital clues and evidences in the media by a particular political party, they could have been done more effectively because revealing the identity of the deceased and his friends and that they had been arrested could itself seal certain leads.

The Police Man’s observation to me on the day when he stopped my vehicle appears to be as per instructions issued to him by his superior officials to ensure that fear or rumors do not spread.  

Such a scenario could have ensured polarisation and a few more votes to the parties involved in building up tempos on either side.  But would not have done any good to the people of this city or even elsewhere – for the #Godhra and post Godhra riots also could have been fueled by the Coimbatore bomb blast episode (and a similar Bombay blast earlier)– who knows?

Prophets after prophets have come all across the globe at various points in time and proclaimed that like all streams leading to the ocean, all forms of religion lead to God.  Yet, there has been constant fight between the followers of all of these Prophets the world over.

For such people finding God is not the priority.  Not even doing service to the religion that they profess.  They want an instrument to subjugate others and be victorious.

It is for each one of us to be guarded against such mechanization, for religion is easily available than drugs and it can be misused as much as used.