Published: November 28, 2008 10:22 pm         

Terror attacks leave Hoosiers worried for loved ones, India

TERRE HAUTE — Ravindar Singh had a sinking feeling Wednesday when she learned about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, where both her mother and older sister live.

She contacted her sister later Wednesday and again on Thursday. Singh’s family members in India are shaken, but all right, she said.

“It’s a very scary situation,” Singh said Friday. “Everybody is worrying about what will happen next and when it will end. No one knows exactly who these [terrorists] are.”

Her older sister, a physician, lives about 11 miles from the Taj Mahal hotel, one of the targets in a series of coordinated attacks staged by terrorists.

The attacks in India’s commercial capital targeted two five-star hotels, the city’s largest commuter train station, a popular restaurant, an ultra-orthodox Jewish center and a hospital. There were 10 targets across the city in all.

More than 150 people have been killed, including at least 14 foreigners. An additional 370 are reported injured, according to the Associated Press.

Singh’s sister has a neighbor whose two sons were eating at the Taj when the attacks began. The sons are OK, she said.

Sumit Ganguly, director of the India Studies Institute at Indiana University, said the fact that the attacks occurred in India’s principal commercial, economic and entertainment center “makes this a particularly vicious attack,” he said.

The Taj Mahal hotel, a place where he has stayed when visiting his native country, is an Indian cultural icon. He visits India about three times a year.

No one quite knows the origins of the terrorist group or their motives, “but they wanted to wreak havoc in Bombay [Mumbai],” he said. “Beyond that, we don’t know much about them,” he said.

India has detained two Pakistani merchant ships, asserting they were used to drop off the Mumbai attackers in a series of small boats, he said.

Such vicious attacks against civilians should be a concern to everyone, he said, noting that Americans increasingly travel to India, American businesses invest there and American students study there, he said.

There is a substantial British expatriate community in Mumbai and a growing number of Americans who work there, he said.

Mumbai has about 18 million people.

Another Terre Haute resident following events in India is Narsi Patel, a retired Indiana State University sociology professor. He has lived in Terre Haute for the past 44 years.

“Many of us when we go back like to visit that area because we are attached to the gateway of India and the famous hotels,” he said.

He said he’s getting somewhat impatient with the Indian commandoes and their response to the terrorist violence. “They should have brought things under control sooner,” he said.

News reports indicate Islamic militants may be involved in the attacks, and because of the targets chosen, Patel wonders if they have ties to al-Qaeda, he said.

Jamsheed K. Choksy, professor of Central Eurasian studies, history and India studies, at IU, said the militants’ attack on Indian landmarks is similar to what Americans experienced during 9/11 and the attack on the World Trade Center.

Whether or not the militants have ties to al-Qaida, it appears their goal “is to inflict terror on the public, much like 9/11.”

Americans should be concerned because India is one of the most populated nations in the world, it’s one of the largest democracies in the world, it’s pro United States and it’s working with the United States on nuclear issues, he said.

“India is a nuclear superpower and an industrial superpower,” he said.

He believes the militants chose Mumbai because many Westerners pass through there.

“The deplorable attacks in India seem to be directed at one of the most vibrant economies in Asia, an economy and country with major links to the West, and specifically at the commercial center of that economy — the city of Mumbai, or Bombay,” Choksy stated.

He believes that India and the United States must work closer together “to tackle the spreading tentacles of global terrorism.”

Choksy stayed in the Taj Palace hotel during July and August when conducting research and lecturing there. He stayed in the same wing shown burning on television news reports.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.