The Ram Mandir, in Ayodhya, is the nation’s pride, a living symbol of Bharat’s ‘eternal soul’. It must be protected like our mothers’ honour. We must keep in mind that even a failed or foiled terrorist attack on the temple complex will generate great noise in the Left-Liberal media and communal heat in the country, besides a tremendous psychological impact on the people. The very fact that an attack could be mounted on such a prestigious complex would not only dent the credibility of the state but would also provide an opportunity to those who are bent upon triggering communal riots across the country.
With such disastrous repercussions in mind, the Ram Mandir shall always remain the prime target for terrorists. The nation must therefore be constantly alive to all possible threats and modes of attack, and draw lessons from previous instances. In planning security for the complex, agencies must cater to all these possibilities. Not catering to any one of them will leave a dangerous gap that terrorists can exploit.
In this article, I will discuss only the possible threats to the temple complex because the public must be also made aware of these threats. An informed, ‘aware’ and vigilant public can often discourage potential attackers or spot them before they strike. Countermeasures to these threats are, of course, a confidential matter and can be disclosed only to the security agencies. Terrorists are known for their adaptability, keeping their own and the security forces’ strengths and weaknesses in mind. If we discuss countermeasures in the public domain, terrorists may devise counter-countermeasures from them.
The list of the possible modes of attack discussed below is not exhaustive. Still, it gives a fairly good idea of the extent of threats which this complex faces, particularly given the historical record of the techniques having been employed elsewhere.