The Changing Algorithm of Terror

The sanguine saga of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the successful extradition of its mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana—more than 16 years after the heinous crime—and his subsequent arrest by the National Investigation Agency make for a fascinating thread in bringing out the rot in the Indian administrative-political system and the perceptible change it's undergoing.

- BALBIR PUNJ

First, let's recall. During 2008, terror groups were hitting India without a break. The fateful year opened with a deadly strike on the CRPF camp in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, attributed to Lashkar-e-Taiba. It was followed by nine more terror attacks by October-end. On October 30, before noon, several markets in Assam were rocked by deadly explosions. Eighteen bombs went off, claiming 81 lives and leaving 470 injured. Succinctly put, bomb blasts and the resulting mayhem were the new normals.

But what followed in November would overshadow all such terror acts—in India and the rest of the world—in terms of the sheer incredulity of its planning, coordination, brutality, the number of human lives lost and the excruciating trauma it caused its victims and the rest of India. The macabre drama lasted four days—November 26 to 29—and was marked by anxiety and palpable nervousness all over the country.

While the security forces grappled with the terrorists ensconced in various locations in Mumbai, all of India was seething with an impotent rage, mortified embarrassment and insecurity. The ordinary Indian was spooked; he realised how vulnerable and helpless his country was in the face of organised Islamic terror. Ten terrorists from the Pakistan-based outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, with logistical and tactical support from the Pakistani military and its intelligence agency ISI, infiltrated Mumbai via the sea route under the cover of darkness on November 26. The system was compromised as fully armed desperadoes managed to sneak into their target locations without any questions asked. Over the subsequent three days, the infiltrators coordinated attacks at eight key locations, including the iconic Taj Hotel and Chhatrapati Shivaji railway terminus.