We Are Safe. Are we??

The news and talk that is in the air is the recent horrendous act of terrorism in the commercial capital of our country. I am not going to carry forward the blame game or for that matter do an autopsy of the event.

The point of focus is that who is next. We have had attacks on our parliament and now on the luxury hotels. The security has definitely been beefed up in all major institutions of economic and strategic importance. So naturally there is a feeling of a sense of security prevalent in all quarters except one. This target is so vulnerable that the defenders have to be none other than the inmates and any casualty, if there is any, wull be the inmates. These institutes produce skilled labour not only for one of the fastest growing economies of the world but also for many developed countries.

Yes, I am talking of the premier engineering and medical institutes of the country. It is indeed surprising to see that an institute that is home for thousands of grey cell owners are secured hardly by a quartet of gunmen whose guns, quite surely have been carried around without a shot being fired. It should be kept in mind that one of the premier research institutes of the country, the IISc, fell prey to terrorism. The security was such that it could not save the life of a professor. To talk practically, these institutes are secured by nothing but the campus walls which can be easily overpowered. Even if there is some security, it is limited to the main entrance of the institute with practically no security cover at the other inlets.

So, instead of providing a cure, which is generally if not always the case, we should go for a preventive approach for providing security to these ‘temples of learning’ .