Varanasi and thereafter…

So here’s another bomb blast. Yet another case of ‘intelligence failure’. And as always, the Govt does its well-rehearsed charade of huddling into an emergency meeting after the incident, promises ‘immediate’ action to nab the culprits. Somehow, true to script, the next morning it guns down a ‘suspect’ on the outskirts of Delhi. He obviously has to have a Muslim name and ofcourse, his curriculum vitae has to boast of impressive brands. Interned at Jaish-e-Mohammed, headed Harkat-ul-ansar, militancy experience in J&K, has links to the dreaded Lashkar-e-Taiba. For all you know the bloke must have been roaming freely in Dhaula Kuan until yesterday, when the Delhi Police decided to use him for some target practice. Now why is that every militant who is shot dead/arrested has three or more aliases. And the cops do not even credit these terrorists with creativity in naming. Taste this: “We have apprehended a dreaded terrorist named Mohammed Yusuf alias Yusuf Mohammed alias Mohammed alias Professor Yusuf". And in the world of terrorist brands, the Lashkar is the undisputed number one. Even when in doubt, the India security agencies don’t seem to blink an eyelid before they point fingers at the LeT.
On a serious note, the attack in Varanasi brings the communal issue into sharp focus. Firstly, the blast will be viewed as an attack on the Hindu’s religious nerve center of Varanasi. That too, an attack on a Hanuman Temple – the monkey god who stands for strength, valour and courage. And that too, an attack during Aarthi time on a Tuesday. These facts are fodder enough for the Hindu right wing to rear its ugly head yet again. The scary consequence of this incident is that it brings communal tensions back in the reckoning. That’s exactly what the VHP and its ilk wanted. Didn't they?