Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Shlok Narayanprasad checked the news online right after his friend told him about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, his hometown. Narayanprasad, a junior, was shocked by a video that showed places he recognized under siege from terrorists. He said he was scared and worried until he called his parents, who still live in the city, and made sure his friends and family were safe.
According to the Associated Press, at least 172 people were killed.
Although none of his family or friends were hurt, Narayanprasad said he was upset the tragedy happened in those familiar places. His father used to attend office meetings at Nariman House, where some hostages were held and killed by terrorists.
People participate in a candlelit vigil held outside the Taj Mahal hotel, in background, to pay tribute to the victims of the Mumbai attacks, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008.
“There were several terrorism attacks in India recently, but I grew up in Mumbai, and I felt very personal about this one,” said Narayanprasad, who lived in Mumbai for 17 years before coming to the University.
The terrorist attacks last week horrified many Indian students at the University.
Amruta Bhadkamkar, Mumbai junior, said her Indian friends at the University were shocked and angry at the attacks, even though many of them were not from Mumbai. She said she worried the attacks would harm Mumbai’s and India’s images abroad.
“Many foreign people were targeted in the attacks, and it gives an impression that India is not very safe,” she said.
Bhadkamkar said she was also upset at the city’s lax security system, which allowed the terrorists to slip through undetected. She said security was usually tighter during holiday seasons. A top national security official resigned on Sunday for failing to thwart the attacks, according to The New York Times.
Namrata Barve, Mumbai graduate student, heard the news from her husband. She watched CNN all day to find out more about the attacks. She said she knew her family was safe, but she was frustrated that most of CNN’s coverage focused on American victims of the attacks.
According to the Associated Press, officials suspect that a militant group based in Pakistan called Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the attacks. Philip Schrodt, professor of political science, said the worst-case scenario for the U.S. would be if India found connections between the attackers and the Pakistani intelligence services. This would harm the relationship between India and the U.S. because the U.S. has been cooperating with the Pakistani government to try to control the Taliban, he said.
“In that case, the United States is going to be in a bad situation,” he said. “But I think what’s more likely is this is the group that is operating in Pakistan without any cooperation from the Pakistani government.”
He said that the attacks would not directly affect the U.S. economy or daily lives of most Americans but that Americans should know terrorist attacks may continue.
“In some ways, the fact that India was targeted was a symbol of how important India is,” he said. “I think people should look at it as important as the attacks in London or Madrid.”
— — Edited by Lauren Keith
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KU students from Mumbai horrified by terrorist attacks
It's not the lax security. It's the incompetent armed response by Indian security forces. Look at the footage. Almost none of the police had body armour. Some were still carrying World War One era bolt-action rifles. Their "commandos," save for snipers, didn't even have optics on their weapons. There was no consistent air support. Nobody even had the foresight to control the crowd that formed within a hand grenade's reach of the conflict area.
The Indian government should be held account to their people for this oversight.
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