Terror tactics – Let the Commonwealth Games not become another blood zone

A penalty shot here, a gunshot there. A boundary here, a bomb blast there. Somehow, these unrelated acts have fallen on common grounds on several unfortunate occasions. Sporting events across the world have become soft targets for terrorists to do what they seek to do – terrorize masses, and gain adequate attention for their causes in the process.

The 1972 Munich massacre of 11 Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorists is an incident that refuses to fade away from public memory. And in more recent times, the frequent bombings in unnervingly close proximity to sport events have successfully created terror in the minds of players and fans alike. So what really is the motive of creating a bloodbath in the midst of a ceremonious, joyous event? The answer lies somewhere in the nature of the very contrast!!

Terrorists are now looking to capitalize on the magnum scale of sport events, particularly those like the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games, to send across a message far and wide, and to push their cause across to people from every part of the world by attacking an assortment of representatives. Several and more terror outfits seek mileage through such acts, and terror cannot be spread more easily than when it is struck at the heart of an enthralled crowd.

Volatile nations like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and even India, are some of the most unsafe destinations to conduct sport events at, and are extremely vulnerable to terror attacks, which are targeted chiefly toward popular sports like cricket. The separate attacks on the New Zealand and Sri Lankan cricket teams on Pakistani grounds drive home the point. The scale of popularity of a sport assumes great importance for such planned terror strikes, and with cricket virtually being a religion on both sides of the border, such acts can hurt indefinitely.

                                                       

Many times, the main motive lies in undermining the image of the host nation, in terms of revealing its security lapses and glitches. In these cases, it is usually indigenous, anti-establishment terror groups that look to gain from such acts. 

More often than not, it is the fans who become sitting ducks for terrorists, and the recent bomb blast that ripped through a gathering of football fans in Uganda ascertains the trend unequivocally. So, even as the FIFA World Cup ended with a bang, the real bang literally sniffed out many innocent lives.

In the light of such bleak events, it is every nation’s prerogative to provide assiduous security to sport events, and to ensure that innocent lives are not lost at the time of such vigour and enthusiasm. With the Commonwealth Games already falling short on many other accounts, security becomes the biggest concern, and the Capital has always been susceptible to terror attacks. So even while the whole nation is up in arms over the shoddy hygiene conditions and half-baked preparations at the Games, the authorities must not lose focus from cementing effective security measures first.

And just as sportsmen need elaborate security, the safety of fans must also not be left unattended. Stringent and responsible security must necessarily be paramount at an event like this, and India is just not ready to face another terror strike.