The chief of the terrorist outfit that planned the terror bombings in the city’s temple laughed mirthlessly as he switched on the TV at his home and watched the bodies of his comrades being dragged by CRPF jawans into a waiting police jeep.
“You are laughing sir? Those are our men!” said his puzzled assistant as he watched his dead colleagues being thrown like cattle into the jeep.
“Mission successful!” laughed the chief.
“Sir the mission was a failure,” said his still puzzled assistant. “Our men are dead and they did not manage to blow up the temple at all!”
“Mission successful!” grinned the bearded terrorist chief.
The assistant ran out into the corridor and whispered what his leader sad said to the men outside. They were hardened terrorists, who broke no nonsense, whether it was their leader or not. They all entered the room and watched the coverage on TV. There was an air of despondency. They could not understand their chief’s joy.
“Sir,” said a subordinate.
“Yes?” the chief smiled back.
“You seem to be happy that our men are dead?”
“They have accomplished what they went for,” said the chief, “I am happy that their mission was successful!”
“Sir their mission was a failure.”
“My dear men,” said the leader as he looked at each one of them, “What do you think was our aim?”
“To bomb the temple,” said one of the militants.
“No,” said their leader.
“No?” asked all the militants together.
“Our aim,” said the chief, ”is to sow anger and hatred in the country with our action. By blowing up the market place we hoped there would be spontaneous riots and bloodshed and anarchy.”
“Which there isn’t,” said a militant.
“Not spontaneous!” said the chief, “but organized. See what the papers are already saying.”
“Bandh!” said one of them.
“Bandh!” shouted the others.
“When the politicians are calling a bandh, they are reacting to us,” said the chief. “When a country does not react to us, our mission is a failure. Now our mission is successful. The whole of the country will shut down because of what six men did. Billions of rupees will be lost because of what our brave brothers did. Can you imagine we have such power? Just six men to shut a country down!”
“Ha, ha ,ha,” laughed the terrorists, “Ha, ha ,ha!”
“if India had gone about her business behaving as if nothing had happened, then our mission would have been a failure, but they have an opposition which is waiting ro create trouble. We don’t have to do much really; we just have to ignite a spark; those fellows will do the rest!”
The militants and their leader watched the TV channels as politicians after politicians talked about the bandh they were going to carry out.
“Mission successful..!” shouted the militants as they raised their guns in salute.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha...!” laughed their chief with glee.
