India - A Country Of Zero Accountability

We (as a nation) must be at the bottom of the heap when it comes to accountability and shouldering responsibility. Even below Somalia and Congo. For centuries we are behaving complete insane when it comes to stand and own up. The precise reason of easy going and responsibility ducking attitude made various outsiders rule us for thousands of years, yet we did learn nothing. In every step, every spear we not only conveniently forgo our responsibility but also watch out for a scapegoat when things go horribly wrong. The effort we put to keep our own back safe from attack when the soil finally hits the fan; I wish we have put half of the effort in doing justice to our responsibilities. We would have been there in place of China a long time back.

Look at the mess that we have created in the dossier – dossier game with Pakistan and yet make tall claims of us being dead serious on the ‘fight against terrorism’ nonsense. The latest dossier that we had send (even before the first bullet from Navy Seal Remington hit Osama) to Pakistan contains a list of 42 most wanted fugitives of India who alleged to been housed in Pakistan. As obvious, we want all of them be handed over to us so that we can make more secure cells in Arthur Road Jail (guess the two great human beings, Afzal Guru & Qasav alone are not good enough). Though the idea of sharing such a list with Pakistan is a waste of time and the biggest goof-up to start with; this is not what made many of us feel embarrassed.

Even before the courier guy could possibly have delivered the parcel at Pakistan Embassy; from nowhere one gentleman of that notorious list traced to Thane near Mumbai. The poor chap is already been fighting a case slapped against him by the state police in attachment to Mumbai Bomb blast and is currently on bail. The otherwise astute and straight spoken Home-Minister put the blame entirely on the Intelligence Bureau sleuths for this colossal goof-up. But Sir – aren’t the IB reports to you? So when we can expect you being the custodian of all such agencies stand up and own up the mess and with all seriousness resign, especially when you guys don’t waste a second in asking for everybody else’s resignation the moment something goes wrong?

Looking at the seriousness and volatility of the case, I am sure the list must have been prepared with aught most caution. First the Maharashtra police, then the IB guys at Mumbai, then the IB guys at Delhi and finally your own ministry. How come such a glaring mistake can pass through so easily at multiple levels? How come the process can be so porous in matter of grave concern and national security? Is it the same reason why only a 10 member Mujahedeen team could travel in a Dingi from Karachi and created mayhem in Mumbai with all our security agencies having not a single clue on how it happened? What next Mr. Home-Minister? When the whole world takes a huge amount of interest and marks closely on our Dossier business with Pakistan such bizarre eventualities certainly makes all of us a laughing stock (not that we are not yet a laughing stock, looking at the number of dossiers we have shared till date without getting Hafeez Shaeed slapped for once even) across continents. Little told about our maturity, seriousness to fight terrorism this goof-up exposed is better. The image of the nation that might have taken the amount of dent can very well be realized by all, including you.

If that was not good enough a humilation, a second from the list is found to be there; not only in Mumbai but languishing in Arthur Road jail for last one year on charges of terrorism. Now what about this mistake Mr.Chidambaram? Whom to blame now? CBI, RAW, IB, BJP, Advani or Narendra Modi for keeping you busy to frame him in Gujarat riots case through SIT and never got enough time to catch the goof-up? Since the second goof-up CBI is told to have suspended a mere Sub-Inspector and transferred the ACP & Commissioner pending enquiry (thankfully they didn’t suspend the poor DTP operator who did the typing). Well done! Bravo. That is some real quick action to cover up the dirt.

Why it is always the lower rank people who get the stick. Why the buck always stops at the bottom without showing any sign of going up. How come the people at the top are never responsible for the mess? This is getting to some kind of a process: Screw Up -> Embarrassment -> People at the top innocent -> Search for a scapegoat in the form of a junior -> Wash off your hands -> Wait for the next screw up to happen. Why it is always a junior rank official seems to have all the responsibilities of the world where as the people at the top are allowed a stress free life? If that is the case then why unnecessarily the tax payers should burden the cost of so many bald heads at the top? Be it suspending a mere Track alignment guard during the infamous Purushottam Express – Kalandi Express accident or suspending a PI now; it always has to be a junior employee who takes the brunt.

If this attitude of shielding the people at top continues then I doubt we can ever be serious on our accomplishments. The buck should always stop at the top unlike the bottom which seems always the case in India. With all probability the goofed up names in the list might not just end at 2. There could be many more from the list who would be residing in various parts of India without our agencies having any idea on their whereabouts. That is precisely why CBI took out the list from their official website. In the event of more names tumbling out to add to our already oversized embarrassment, what should be done? Will we suspend yet another SI and pretend to be no-nonsense for mistakes or will ask the top brass of the Home-Ministry to stand up and explain; starting with G.K.Pillai till P.Chidambaram? If we really want the things to improve then we don’t have any other option but to force the buck to stop at the top, I guess!!