We are fortunate that, much like the attempt to storm the makeshift temple at Ayodhya last July, the attack on the RSS headquarters was foiled by some quick and effective police action. While it is still unclear whether it was the Lashkar-e-Toiba behind it — although evidence seems to suggest as much — what can be said with some degree of certainty is that it is part of a larger pattern of terrorist activity aimed at destabilising the country.

Consider these similarities: the ruse adopted by the terrorists in this instance, of donning police uniforms, brings to mind the attack on the Congress rally in Srinagar not so long ago, by militants dressed as policemen. The mode of entry this time — in a vehicle that looked very official — is reminiscent of the entry of the terrorists in the Parliament attack. The target of attack — the RSS headquarters — indicated that the larger intention was to deepen the communal divide in the country. The attack on the Sankat Mochan temple at Varanasi in March was driven by the exact same intent. The country’s united response to all these dastardly attempts to undermine its stability continues to be its greatest weapon, but it cannot afford to lower its guard.

The UPA government has to emphatically signal that it is alive to the threat and has an efficacious strategy to combat and defeat it. In the absence of such a signal, militants will continue to feel emboldened to strike at will. No government — least of all one presiding over a vast and vibrant country such as this one — can afford to appear pusillanimous in the face of such a threat. The first step is to acknowledge that the dangers are ubiquitous and ever-present. No region in the country can be considered safe anymore. If Bangalore and Hyderabad have come on to the terror map, Nagpur’s vulnerability should cause little surprise. The latest terror attack has yielded a wealth of information. It should be carefully garnered and used to ensure that other audacious attempts of this kind are similarly repulsed in the future.