‘Kitne log the?’

‘Kitne log the?’

‘Kitne log the’; this immortal dialogue from Sholey film remained one of my all time favourites till the recent controversy about the number of terrorists who had successfully penetrated high security zone of Pathankot Air Base exposing to the world, chinks in our national security apparatus. Now this apparently silly question about the number of terrorists, whether they were four or six, has become a painful joke for me.

And reason for this amusing, yet serious question is that three prime ‘honourable’ witnesses in the case namely Salwinder Singh SP and his illustrious companions namely Rajesh jeweler and cook Madan had told the NIA that there were four armed persons who had ‘way laid’ and ‘robbed’ them of their vehicle. Investigators at the Air Field had, however, recovered four assault rifles and three pistols from bodies of four terrorists who were killed in the first 24 hours of encounter that began late in the night of January 1. Later remnants of blasted and fragmented bodies, probably of two persons, were found after cessation of the second encounter which had gone on for another 30 odd hours. Hence comes up the interesting and relevant question about the exact number of terrorists. Yes, it is indeed an important question from point of view of the ‘crime’ and reconstruction thereof. Unfortunately human DNA both of Indians and Pakistanis is same and so is the colour of blood. These two additional bodies could be of terrorists or of their local accomplices or even of ‘loaders’ and ‘coolies’ who might have been engaged for ferrying heavy loads of arms and ammunitions. Or maybe four terrorists primarily worked as a make do escort party and two other terrorists primarily carried heavy loads explosives which were to be used to blast off the entire air base, aircrafts included. These are questions which certainly need to be probed even in absence of any shred of direct evidence with regard there to. Wish either of Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot were alive to help our premier agencies, but unfortunately they are not and now it is for investigators themselves to find a plausible concrete theory. The case can be an ‘investigator’s delight’.

But an average Indian and the country is not interested in scratching its head trying to find the answer to this question. They want answers to their own set of questions including;

1-    How terrorists managed to cross over in to our country both in Dinanagar and Pathankot incidents?

2-    Who were their Indian accomplices?

3-    What about the flourishing Politicians-Drug Smugglers (also read terrorists)-Security Forces-Sleeper Cells Nexus in Punjab?

4-    Why and at whose behest was NIA not permitted to investigate Dinanagar and why they are ignoring the above mentioned nexus particularly in Pathankot incident in which names of some high politicians of ruling alliance are also emerging?

5-    Why Punjab police and Special Forces of Army located in Pathankot failed to act in time in both the incidents?

6-    Why some investigators of NIA are disillusioned and feel that they are not being given a free hand in Pathankot?

Questions are several but no one is replying.

Should we sit comfortably and wait for next terrorist intrusion?