Online war on terror, is it over?

By Benny Thomas   |   Thursday, 26 November 2009, 15:33 IST   |    5 Comments
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Online war on terror, is it over?
Bangalore: A country of billion people was rattled when its commercial hub was attacked by 10 men, who had only one thing on their minds - to spread terror. The incident that happened exactly a year ago in Mumbai woke up a country that seemed to be in a deep slumber, people started raising their voices demanding answers from politicians and bureaucrats for the 173 lives that were lost on the three dreadful days. A lot of people used the internet to make their voice heard against the lapses in security and administration of the country. One year on, these campaigns seem to have lost their vigor and what they have achieved till now is a question for all to debate and contemplate. "People it's time to act. The government of the people, by the people, for the people has to help its people. And we the common citizens have to wake up too. Everyone be safe. Please remember tomorrow morning is not just another day. It's the day of rising," this was the immediate reaction of Dr. Hemant Mittal, member of a community on Orkut dedicated to Mumbai. This post by Mittal was followed by several reactions by the community members, who were venting their anger and frustration over the incident. 'Mumbai Terror Attacks: I condemn it' was a community created on Facebook soon after the terror attacks in December last year. It started with a spurt of passionate discussions, heated debates and heart-wrenching stories. The aim of this cross section of people was the same - keep the pressure mounting on the government to take steps so that such incidents don't happen again. While the online activism continued for a few months, it started waning by the middle of this year. By August there was a post announcing a gay rights rally and on November 9 - almost a year after the attacks - there was a discussion topic on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray. The story of another group, Mumbai 26/11, is similar. The last post on it was three months back and that too on the trend of Indian youngsters going abroad for education. Satish Kumar is an Orkut user and when 26/11 happened he was one of the many who joined a community dedicated to create a movement. Today, Kumar doesn't even log into the community, because he feels that it has lost its purpose because there are a very few 'sensible' discussions taking place. There are many like Kumar who feel the same and think that the online war is too hard to fight. Now, that 365 days have passed since one of the most horrific incidents in the Indian history, will these online campaigns revive again to fight terror? Or will the battle be lost?

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