No value for life

It is heart wrenching to see a man in Pondicherry who literally bled to his death. because of lack of medical transport at a major train station. To rub salt in the wound, he was transported in a tricycle. There are so many Indians who die a tragic death like this.

There are no modes of public transport from the train station even though the station is inside the city.The ambulance service in most of the cities are associated with some major hospitals and has different phone numbers to reach them. The golden time to transport an accident victim is orphaned by such a complex process. Until the government comes up with an integrated emergency response apparatus through out the country there will absolutely be no value for life.

An assault on democracy

Terror attacks in Mumbai is a direct assault on democracy. There is virtually no accountability to these dastardly acts. The Indian government is being soft on terror convicts such as those in the 2001 Parliament attack case and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The punishment laid down by the law and upheld by the courts should be immediately acted upon. Difficult times require not just difficult decisions but wise decisions. If the Mumbai terror attacks are not to become just additions to a long list, the response should be hard.

Creation of a central agency is in the right direction but without a political will to fight terror, the new agency has no meaning. The Indian coast guard along with the Indian Navy was caught napping on the job. The national security adviser kept his job even after an assault on what he was supposed to advise upon. The President cut short her state visit only after two days from the attacks. The home minister became the scape goat for the tragedy. The entire episode exposes the security apparatus in deep chaos and confusion.

After all, securing a constitutional right to life and liberty should not be hard fought. We did that already until the 15th August of 1947.