ICYMI #TheTribuneOpinion: Security lapses that led to Red Fort blast, the social fault lines

Days after the Delhi car blast, the state/UT police concerned and Central intelligence services have not been able to explain why they failed to catch the doctor-turned suicide-bomber Umer un-Nabi, who was driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort on November 10. Nabi remained on the run for several days before the Delhi car blast. What is certain is that the security agencies failed to prevent the terror attack and apprehend the perpetrator, even though they knew for days that a member of the Kashmir-Faridabad terror module was on the run. They owe the country an explanation for this lapse, writes former MEA Secretary Vivek Katju in his Edit article Lapses on the terror trail proved fatal.

That brings us to another important question—What is the extraordinary problem that Indian Muslims face that Indians of other faiths don’t seem to comprehend, asks Editor-in-Chief Jyoti Malhotra in her weekly column The Great Game The Indian Muslim problem. Why are they plotting terror acts and blowing themselves up at the Red Fort? Those involved in the Red Fort blast, those picked up by the police and thrown in jail in the 2020 Delhi riots case as well as those lynched over beef-carrying rumours by cow vigilantes — the common denominator between these widely varying groups of Muslims is their faith, she writes.

The 2015 killing of Mohammad Akhlaq still lingers in public memory. A mob entered a house, dragged a man out and killed him on the basis of a rumour. Now, the UP government is trying to withdraw from the prosecution in this lynching case which has raised many eyebrows. Senior SC advocate Sanjay Hegde in his Edit piece When power seeks to rewrite justice writes that the prosecutor, the judge, the family — all have a role to play. The prosecutor must refuse to become a vehicle for political convenience; the judge must question why withdrawal is sought at this stage, the family will have to stand before the court reopening wounds they have carried for years. This process would remind the State that prosecution cannot be switched on and off depending on the mood of the moment, he writes. Meanwhile, acquittal of the 2006 Nithari serial murder case accused Surendra Koli by the Supreme Court reveal a flawed investigation, riddled with inconsistencies and unanswered questions. In his article, Lessons from Nithari acquittals Aligarh Muslim University Professor Ishrat Husain writes the case has raised more questions than it has answered. Who killed more than 12 children? The repeated convictions, acquittals and legal reversals have made a mockery of the justice system, he writes.

With students continuing with their indefinite dharna over the Senate issue, the Panjab University is at a crossroads. The delay in announcing the Senate election for 2024 and the systemic restructuring of the Senate was a calculated attempt to reinforce the Centre’s claim to governance over the university, writes PU prof Navreet Kaur in her Op-Ed article Punjab must defend its stake in PU. The protest is being led by students, while it should have been led by the Punjab CM, she argues. A peaceful resolution is not just preferable, it is essential, writes Assistant Professor Himanshu Atal in his article Let academics, not agitation, lead the way. Dialogue, transparency and accountability must replace confrontation. The administration, student representatives and faculty must find common ground that prioritises academics, mental well-being and institutional integrity, he writes.

Talking about children, the CBSE has decided to introduce AI for all students from Class III onwards from the 2026-27 academic session. Class III is too early a stage to have artificial intelligence as a mandatory subject. Schools should not discipline kids in a way that they lose their simplicity, curiosity and playfulness, writes sociologist Avijit Pathak in his edit piece Let kids embrace AI at their own pace. Amid this techno-seduction, we should not forget that not everything is necessarily promising about the use of AI in the realm of education, he states.

On another front, children’s access to pornography remains an unacknowledged issue, says former NCERT director Krishna Kumar in his Op-Eed piece Shielding kids from porn isn’t child’s play. Never before have kids been exposed to a borderless milieu. They are now surrounded by the global market which treats every child as a consumer. Worry, however, is hardly an adequate response. Easy access to pornography in childhood concerns children’s right to be protected. In India, the State’s role in meeting this threat has not come under any public debate so far, he writes.

The stray dog debate refuses to die down. Humanely reducing the dog population of our cities is not a pipe dream; it is a tried and tested reality.  The method is very simple: allow the caregivers to feed the dog; that way, they befriend it and earn its trust, writes dancer & choreographer Navtej Johar in his article Adopt a humane path to manage stray dogs. The solution to this “problem” begins with kindness. All it needs to do is for the government and the courts to join hands with the already well-organised groups of dog lovers of their city, he writes.