Thursday, January 05, 2006
Bangalore no more a mere terror hideout
CHENNAI: For two decades, Bangalore was known to be an easy hideout for terrorists and underworld dons, especially those from Tamil Nadu. Most terrorists on the run were traced to Bangalore and killed in shootouts here by Tamil Nadu police. But the Wednesday shootout at IISc has proved that Bangalore is no more just a hideout. Can one ever forget the encounter with Sivarasan and Subha, co-assassins of former PM Rajiv Gandhi, along with other LTTE members in a hideout in Konanakunte? Sivarasan and company were not the first LTTE cadres to have taken refuge in Bangalore. Since the hard stand taken in Tamil Nadu against LTTE and its chief Villupillai Prabhakaran, the increasingly cosmopolitan Bangalore has provided an easy escape for the hunted Tigers. And experts believe that the city was used to hatch plots and re-group. It is now that Islamic terrorism which is raising its head here. As recent as 2002, gangsters had freed two terrorist of Al Umma, Imam Ali and Hyder Ali, from police custody in Madurai...
Bangalore loses safe city tag
The rape and murder of call centre worker, Prathibha Srikanth Murthy, has raised questions about safety for women in the city, in general - whether it's working women, or college girls, women on a night out, or even out on a walk. Bangalore was, so far, considered safe for women, but is that the reality? Is it safe to go any place alone, or do they feel it's risky or dangerous? BT found that for most women, their defences are up when they are alone. Parul Seth, a young corporate, says earlier, she could travel back home from work alone at night, but now, she finds it difficult, and says Bangalore's going the Delhi way. She recalls how she was travelling with a friend, a woman, by car, back from work.
"I was not partying. I was harassed by a taxi driver, he got his friends over and they surrounded the car and intimidated us, and this was in a busy locality. When I got out of the car to confront them, they came at me. I didn't want to be manhandled, so I went back and sat in the car. It was because I was a woman that they did it, because the minute my husband came there with his friends (I called him over), they backed off." She says she keeps her mobile handy, but"How much precaution can you take?" She makes sure she wears a shawl and a jacket, because"when I tell people about an incident the first thing they ask me is what I was wearing, but there is harassment even if you are fully clothed." Pooja Singh, a corporate employee, says she works upto 9-9.30 pm sometimes, and has faced harassment on the streets."Guys follow you. Or they come on bikes and pretend to ask for directions. This happens even during daytime. And just when you are helping them out, they'll ask you if you have a boyfriend, or if you can come with them for a cup of coffee.
