Guns-4-Us

The news today has it that there is going to be an all-party meet in which the main item on the agenda will be the setting up of a new federal agency to combat terrorism.

We already have many federal agencies – the IB, RAW, CBI, CRPF, BSF etc.

Are we safer as a result?

And I simply loved this piece by Mythili Bhusnurmath lamenting the fact that the beat constable system has stopped working.

So let us note the extent of State Failure in providing basic security.

180 districts out of 600 are run by Naxals – that is about one-third of the territory.

Secessionism and extremism are rife in Kashmir and the North-East.

And the beat constable system no longer works.

Hence we have little choice. We must arm ourselves and employ armed private security guards for securing our homes, offices, shopping malls, hotels et. al. We cannot rely on our The State for this – and especially not so at the federal level. Can New Delhi make the people of Assam feel secure?

Note that there was a 10-hour delay in sending the NSG to Mambai. Why not have city militias under the control of mayors in every big city and town? And why not have many “gated localities” too, where security is provided by a private firm? My only contention is that the guns should be on our side. Private people and private security agencies must be armed.

The alternative is our The State from On High, setting up a new federal agency.

There couldn’t be a worse idea than that.