DNA Edit: 26/11 - Lessons galore - The nation can ill-afford to forget them

Ten years on, what hurts the most about 26/11 is the fact that the attack could have been prevented. It was a colossal intelligence failure even when there were tell-tell signs that a bunch of Pakistani terrorists might take the sea-route to catch Mumbai off guard.

While the city police — with archaic weapons and inadequate protective gear — put up a spirited fight, and later commandos of the National Security Guards took over the operation, 10 terrorists still managed to hold the city to ransom for more than 36 hours.

Finally, when it all ended, the mayhem left an indelible scar on the collective psyche: 166 people were dead and 300 injured. The terrorists had achieved their objective. They had got all the publicity they wanted. The Mumbai terror attack was an audacious exercise.

It left the world in a state of shock and awe. Back then, it was evident that both the state government and the Centre were unprepared for an attack on such a scale. Even after the 1993 blasts, when a huge cache of arms arrived in the city from the water route, they had failed to gauge the dangers of an unguarded coast and how vulnerable the city’s iconic buildings and key installations were.

While the city picked up the pieces — Mumbai doesn’t allow the luxury of grieving after a point — the tragedy had revealed a different, albeit heartening, side of humanity. Ordinary people rose to the occasion to become extraordinary human beings — reaching out to help and protect one another — bound by the invisible thread of universal values.

The terrorists’ bullets didn’t make a distinction between Hindus and Muslims, or the rich and the poor. Tales of valour, compassion, and selflessness abound: Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Mumbai police’s ASI Tukaram Omble, chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad, Hemant Karkare died in the line of duty.

One of the key takeaways of 26/11 was the precariousness of life in Mumbai: One leaves home without the surety of a safe return. Apart from the trail of death and destruction, the living proof of Pakistan’s hand in planning and executing the assault was Ajmal Kasab.

As expected, the mastermind Hafiz Sayeed couldn’t be brought to India to face trial. In the last 10 years, his clout has only grown in Pakistan. Mumbai may be better equipped to handle a 26/11-like situation, but terrorists may not adopt the same route and tactics.

Terrorism now poses a different set of challenges with the advent of social media, which has become a fertile ground for the radicalisation of youth. It involves educated, accomplished people — respectable in deportment and demeanour — unlike the ones who laid siege to Mumbai.

The modus operandi too has changed from coordinated attacks to lone-wolf initiative. Imagine, a terrorist ploughing a truck through a heavily crowded street in Mumbai, a la the Bastille Day attack in France’s Nice. Today terror networks are far more global and well-knit, thanks to technology. While cutting-edge surveillance equipment and weapons are an absolute must, ground-level intelligence is also indispensable. Mumbai, for that matter Maharashtra, needs to work on both fronts.