The terrorist attacks in Mumbai last week hit close to home with me.

Literally.

My family lives within eyesight of the Oberoi Hotel. We have to drive by it to get to their house.

Watching the destruction of national landmarks, I felt anger toward the sadistic souls that carried out these horrific acts. But for the better part of three days, watching the events unfold, I felt an even deeper anger towards the entire Indian government, both local and federal.

The Indian government should be ashamed of its lack of preparedness and subsequent response to the attacks. Mumbai is the largest city in India and is the financial capitol of the country. It should have its own S.W.A.T team. Why did they have to wait well into the second day for the National Security Guards to arrive from New Delhi?

The security around this immaculate city is hideous. How was a boat able to get anywhere near the coastline by the Gateway of India? How did the Coast Guard not intercept the boat? On India’s Coast Guard Web site, it claims “We Protect.” At one of the highest profile ports, it failed miserably.

This entire ordeal is full of questions I can’t believe are even crossing my mind.

I can’t even begin to imagine what would happen in this country if the leader of our anti-terror agency was killed during an attack. India’s Anti-Terror Squad Chief Hermant Karkare was killed after the terrorists had finished their business in Shivaji Terminus and Cama Hospital. The terrorists attacked and commandeered the police van Karkare was riding in. That’s the equivalent of Robert Gates being killed during an attack in New York. During an attack, the anti-terror chief should be in the command center, out of harms way, not in the middle of the action.

Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata, the group that owns the Taj hotel, said in an interview with CNN following the end of the final standoff that his company had been warned several months prior that the Taj was a possible target to terrorist attacks. He stated that while they had increased security for two months prior to the attacks, they had recently reduced security. If you own a five-star hotel which accommodates foreign diplomats, Bollywood movie stars and influential businessmen, shouldn’t you have the highest possible security at all times?

India produces some of the smartest minds in the entire world, yet I feel like the government missed on a lot of them. They’ve faced many attacks during the last few years and should have learned from them. When you’ve faced numerous attacks over the last few years, there is no explanation for lowering the level of security. Last December, while I was in Mumbai, the local news outlets were reporting intelligence that suggested Lashkar-e-Tiaba, one of the suspected groups to have carried out these attacks, was planning to attack Mumbai around New Years via boats. So whether or not it was fresh intelligence, the government had some idea that it could happen.

Don’t get the wrong impression. I love Mumbai and I love India. I’m proud that my family is from such an amazing city. I feel at home while walking the streets. But I truly believe the people that are supposed to keep the citizens safe dropped the ball.

The Anti-Terror Squad failed in preventing the attacks from happening. The local police failed in their attempt to combat the terrorists. The national government failed at providing adequate reinforcement. A dozen terrorists should not have been able to hold an entire city hostage for the better part of three days.

The Indian government failed its people.