Nothing is sacred any more, nothing in the eyes of terrorists — not life, not religion, nothing. Everyone is an enemy in their view, except those who help and shelter them, and even they may be suspect for there could be informers anywhere.
I have no idea how a terrorist’s mind works for how can anyone in his right mind kill innocent people? I can see the logic, of course, for that’s the surest way to spread terror, by striking without warning among innocent people. And that is what the terrorists did in the Hindu holy city of Benares (Varanasi) yesterday, bombing the railway station and an old Hindu temple.
I am surprised no terrorist group has claimed responsibility yet, for the bombings were a success: At least 15 people killed, Indian cities placed on high alert, headlines in the international media.
But maybe they are ashamed they did not achieve more: More victims, more turmoil, plunging the country into a communal bloodbath. For whoever set off the bombs was attacking the Hindus’ holiest city.
Hindu pilgrims going into Jammu and Kashmir are attacked almost every year, but this is Benares, Varanasi, in the heart of India. It is true the Vishwanath temple in Benares was sacked by successive Muslim rulers including the "great" Mughal Aurangzeb, who built a mosque on the site of a temple he destroyed in the late 17th century. But that was a long time ago. There was no reason for the Hindu pilgrims visiting the Sankat Mochan temple dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman yesterday evening to expect a bomb attack.
Reports following the blasts have been quick to point out recent clashes between Hindus and Muslims in the nearby city of Lucknow. But there has been no official word yet on who struck in Benares. So it could have been anybody bent on making more trouble. Whoever it was, was well-organised, for the temple and railway station were bombed within 10 minutes of each other.
I wonder how the people caught in the temple blast must be feeling now: Going to pray to God only to become victims of violence. Has it shaken their faith? Or are they praying harder now? The terrorists wanted to destroy them. How can anyone support such monsters?
I fear for the Muslims living in Benares — and for the Hindus too. Muslims protested when Hindu zealots in December 1992 pulled down the 16th century Babri mosque — built by another Mughal, Babur — to rebuild a temple to Rama which was said to have earlier occupied that site in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama. The government stopped the temple construction. Now it is appealing for peace and calm after the bomb blasts in Hinduism’s holiest city. These are attacks on religion and God-fearing people.
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A terrorist, in my opinion, isn’t in his or her right mind. Logic and rationality doesn’t hold.
I am a canadian citizen whose parents are presently visiting family in India. My mother and father visited Benares last week before the bombings. Having read so many wonderful comments written in their emails about India and Benares, I was looking forward to rediscover India in a near future with my husband who has never visited this beautiful country. But a sad incident like this one makes us think and reflect. Right to freedom, liberty and security…those are things that may be taken for granted for many canadians. We are not fully protected against terrorists but we have a choice: live our lives in terror or keep on living with dreams and projects, including travelling and dicovering the world to better understand it.
Terrorist attack in Varanasi
They were normal people like you and me. They were old people like our parents who are religious. They had gone to pray to Hanuman in Varanasi, the holy city for Hindus and now they are dead due to the…