Last weekend, in one of the deadliest attacks in Bangladesh, gunmen held multiple hostages in Dhaka’s Holey Artisan café, killing 22 people. Why Holey Artisan Café? Well, because it is an upscale restaurant, frequented by foreigners, diplomats, successful businessmen and politicians. Should what happened in Holey Artesan unfold in any café in Delhi’s upmarket Hauz Khas Village area, how prepared are all the stakeholders, to avert a similar tragedy.
So I decided to visit Hauz Khas Village – Delhi’s hub of cafés and restaurants that witness huge footfall and a lot of foreigners as patrons. The purpose was to check what were the safety and security arrangements. What I found out didn’t surprise me at all. But, it definitely got me worried.
“There has never been an attack in the village and it will never ever happen, so we don’t need to worry,” a response I got from owners and staff at most cafés and restaurants.
Next stop was Raasta, another popular bar and restaurant. The employee was amused when I asked him about emergency exits. This is what he said:
What are the counter terrorism measures? What about evacuation? Is the staff trained in terror response. What are the safe routes? First aid and medical kits? Emergency plans? No one seemed to have an answer. While this was the attitude of those running the shops and the eateries, customers on the other hand sounded worried.
While India has not been affected much by the pro-ISIL activities as yet, the group’s influence is evident in the country. Shouldn’t India be worried? Shouldn’t the attack on Holey Artisan serve as a warning to all?
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