Failures

Where did we, India as a nation and as a society, fail, in preventing these kind of attacks ?

Our liberalism is partly to blame, according to a well-respected author and professor of law.

If that is a failure at a macro level, there have been many micro-level failures. There were several of these little failures enabling the attacks. If blame were to be apportioned, everyone would get a little.

But, the political class has visibly failed most spectacularly of all.

(In Reverse Chronological order. Last Updated 12 Dec 2008)

• Did India receive actionable prior warning ? The daily Haaretz (Israel) reports: We warned India — says U.S. Though non-specific warnings are not easy to act on, as the saying goes: To be fore-warned, is to be fore-armed. Where warnings taken seriously ?
  
• Foreign Interlocutions (Intellibriefs, Dec 2008) talks about many aspects of failure.
  
• Our Coast Guard had actually spotted the terror ship. They sent a request to IB for information, IB passed it on to RAW, RAW did not respond…and eight days passed ! Read this report from DNA-India
  
• Bungling and delays cost lives. DNA India reports that Navy wanted a “written request”, and “top government bosses” in Delhi were unreachable.
  
• Taj security slackened just in time, according to another DNA India report.
  
• And, why did it take 9 hours ? Read what Shlok Vaidya has to say: Reforming Rapid Response.
  
• It is now known that Mumbai Police ignored leads from UP STF about possible terrorist plans to strike Mumbai. Interrogation of captured attackers of CRPF camp Rampur last year, had uncovered handmade sketches of the very same locations that have now been attacked. This reveals serious holes in security. Source: Report from Digital Today (India).
  
• The facts about the earlier plot have surfaced: Police Foiled Earlier Plot Against Mumbai says New York Times 6 Dec 2008.
  
• The Hindu newspaper of 11 Dec 2008 carried this article: Top police officials criticized for errors of judgement in Mumbai attack.
  
• Citing failures, Atanu Dey calls the mumbai attacks much less a tragedy than a farce. Tragedy and Farce .