The phobia of terror attacks has changed the definition of red alert in the past few years. Is red alert the standard jargon for any adverse situation? The answer could be yes.

Red alert? Again?

The phobia of terror attacks has changed the definition of red alert in the past few years. Is red alert the standard jargon for any adverse situation? The answer could be yes.

Just take the case of Mumbai city. The city is already under heavy police deployment and cops are hunting for wanted terrorists, who could carry out blasts during the festive season. A glaring case in point is the four Deputy Commissioners of Police deployed to ensure there are no untoward incidents at the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh festivities. The cops have almost converted central Mumbai into a fortress in the past few days.

However, soon after the attacks outside Jama Masjid, another red alert was announced. It is hard to stomach how the level could be upgraded when already 40,000 policemen are guarding the streets of the city. Over the the past few years, there has been a red alert almost every week ufffd more than 200 in the past two years. It has become the panacea for any threat. For the various intelligence agencies, it just takes a fax message to trigger off a red alert. No cops on the street can dare question the source.
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Why do policemen dread a red alert? The first thing it means is that the senior officers get an opportunity to cancel the leave of their juniors. For instance, a red alert during Ganpati immersion means round-the-clock duty. Cops can go home only after the last of the Ganesh idols has been sunk in the Arabian Sea.

It does not require too much intelligence to figure out when the cops are on red alert. If your car is moving slowly, bumper-to-bumper, on an arterial road due to a nakabandi, be sure it is another alert.

Some good police officers resort to night patrolling if they are informed about the red alert. Most of them adhere to standard operational procedures penned down by the chief. What I've failed to understand over the years is what the cops look for during a red alert. Everybody knows Qasab's associates would never land at Cuffe Parade again.
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So what are these 40,000 policmen looking for? I'm sure most do not know. How many of them are shown the sketches of suspects before deployment? A majority may not be able to weed out a Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist from their cousins in Harkat-ul-Mujahiddeen Islami. Not many in the police even know who the Indian Mujahideen are?

In real terms, what the cops stumble upon during a red alert is motorists without licence, uninsured vehicles, and drunken drivers. I am beginning to believe that by declaring a red alert, they are sending the message: We are on the streets; so please defer your plans.