In transit, in denial

The aftermath of the May 13 serial blasts in Jaipur has drawn a string of familiar demands. The attack bears familiarities with earlier terrorist incidents in cities like Hyderabad, and therefore highlights the immense price we pay for inadequate follow-up investigations. For now, government and opposition appear focused on how to go forward gainfully, even if there appears to be an unfortunate streak of confrontation in this. On Saturday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated the need for a federal crime agency. Law and order is a state subject and given the fact that terrorist and white-collar crimes are inter-state in nature, a federal mechanism is needed. The BJP, for its part, has been quick to level the charge that investigations are hampered by the absence of terrorism-specific legislation.

But in the week after Jaipur, another aspect has gained the spotlight. In an interview, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has pointed to a lack of cooperation between the Centre and states on how to tackle illegal immigrants. See Op-Ed Page for the full transcript. She says her government had written to the Centre a year ago seeking direction on how to tackle illegal immigration. The reply, as recounted by her, was startling: round up the trespassers in transit camps.

The Centre8217;s reluctance to confront this issue, specifically the presence in India of Bangladeshis without documentation, can be dangerous. It is dangerous for two reasons. One, with leads pointing to the involvement of Bangladesh-based organisations like HUJI in many recent terrorist incidents, including those at Jaipur, it in effect makes intelligence gathering as well as investigation that much more difficult. Two, by maintaining political correctness as a contrast to communal targeting of illegal immigrants, it nurtures a divisive politics of vote banks. It presents the issue as a choice between inaction and human rights violations. Surely, India as a mature democracy can confront its challenges on the basis of humanity and the rule of law.