Plea for better treatment of India's elite commandos

To:  manmohan@sansad.nic.in, ak.antony@sansad.nic.in, svpatil@sansad.nic.in, editor@expressindia.com, tss@timesgroup.com, ttedit@abpmail.com, thehindu@vsnl.com, feedback@ndtv.com, letters@outlookindia.com, cs@mid-day.com

Dear Prime Minister of India,

We the undersigned saw the events in Mumbai unfold in front of our eyes and were horrified to see systematic failures in all spheres of counter-terrorism security. There was the failure to heed the warnings, the delay in bringing in our elite commandos, the lack of proper transportation for the commandos to name just a few.

However, one glaring issue that showed up above all else in this continuous coverage is how long it took our commandos to bring the situation under control.

The following facts were evident from the interview one of the commandos gave to CNN-IBN1 and were further supported by several op-ed pieces that have appeared in newspapers across the world:

1. Our commandos had no access to the layout of the two hotels2
2. Our commandos did not have access to thermal imaging equipment2
3. Our commandos had no proper means of communication2
4. Our commandos did not have access to latest body armor technology3
5. Our sharp shooters’ rifles were equipped with outdated telescopes3

Under these circumstances, it is akin to turning the commandos into cannon fodder. We can only imagine what kind of treatment the Indian government is meting out to the troops. These are the men and women of India who are laying down their lives for the country and the government does not even make a pretense of giving them half a chance of fighting the enemy on equal footing.

Dear Sir, we implore you to give these true heroes their due. When we expect them to sacrifice their lives for our sake surely they are entitled to more support in terms of training and equipment or is the Indian government going to just pay lip service as is its wont?

If not for the presence of media scrutiny we would never have been aware of the unnecessarily harsh conditions the armed men and women of India have been operating in. Inspite of the odds stacked against them in Mumbai, the commandos went about their duties without an iota of hesitation for which we salute them wholeheartedly.

I hope you hear this plea and take immediate action and show us why we should still have faith in you, Dr. Manmohan Singh!

References:
1. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/29/mumbai.commandos.taj/index.html
2. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-india1-2008dec01,0,1130306.story
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/world/asia/30mumbai.html?pagewanted=all

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Plea for better treatment of India's elite commandos Petition to manmohan@sansad.nic.in, ak.antony@sansad.nic.in, svpatil@sansad.nic.in, editor@expressindia.com, tss@timesgroup.com, ttedit@abpmail.com, thehindu@vsnl.com, feedback@ndtv.com, letters@outlookindia.com, cs@mid-day.com was created by and written by Mahesh Godavarti (godavarti.mahesh@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.