Rohan Gunaratna

2011-07-22 Terrorism in India



India is no stranger to terrorist attacks. The fact that it faces terrorism threat from multiple organizations based both inside and outside of the country has made it difficult to keep attacks at bay. The memories of the 2006 and 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai might still be fresh among the local residents. Earlier this month, a triple bombing ripped through India's financial capital again, killing at least 19 people. But unlike the previous attacks which laid bear India's inability to deal with terrorist attacks and its immediate aftermath, India's anti-terrorism forces this time responded with swiftness and politicians acted quickly to keep the public apprised of the latest development.

India is hardly alone in suffering from terrorism. Terrorism is gaining momentum worldwide with attacks being staged from North America to Europe and from Asia to Africa. The fact that no country is immune from terrorism has raised the prospect of cross-border or even cross-continent cooperation among countries. After the serial bombings in Mumbai, the US has voiced full support to India in their joint efforts to fight terrorism. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is also a case in point. Since the group was established 10 years ago, member countries have worked in tandem to diminish terrorism threat that persisted in Central and East Asia.
So how safe are we in the backdrop of surging terrorist activities worldwide? And what can countries like India do to fend off terrorism?

You're listening to People In the Know, bringing you insights into the headline news in China and around the world, I'm Zheng Chenguang in Beijing. In today's program, we will take a look at terrorism in India.

We are joined by Prof. S.D. Muni, Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies under the National University of Singapore and Prof. Rohan Gunaratna, Head of International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.