Relax, Lady!

I stayed over at TIFR almost all of the last week the housing the housing was available to us. This was the week in which the bombings happened, and was curious to see what effect it had on commuters in the first class ladies compartment when I finally got back to travelling on a daily basis.
Earlier this week, I caught a train at around eleven fifteen at jogeshwari station. I don't usually travel at that time, and it was a unfamiliar bunch of faces that greeted me on that train.
As always, I was lugging around a stuffed backpack with clothes, a couple of books and food. At that hour, the trains are empty enough for me to get a seat as soon as I get on the train. I dumped my bag on the luggage holder, and started listening to music on my phone.

A woman sitting opposite me kept staring at me, until she could contain herself no more and blurted out,
" They're not alowing that in the gents first class compartment, you know..."

"Huh?"

"You know, keeping your bag on the luggage holder....they're making people keep bags on their laps"

"But why??"

"Its just a precautionary measure...A lot of college students just leave their bag on the luggage rack and go to the door"

"And?"

"Don't you know, some of the bombs were kept on the luggage racks, and the people who planted them just got off the train"

At this point, I'm getting increasingly annoyed with this lady's reasoning...
"Look, if there's a bomb in my bag, you're gonna be caught in the explosion whether its on my lap or on the rack....you do realise that, right? But if it reassures you that you're safe when its on my lap, I'll keep it down.."

*random statistic throwing*
"Yeah, but only 10% of bombers are suicide bombers...the rest are not...we can't keep an eye on everyone..."

At this point another lady who's been passing comments to a friend all throughout steps in
"why are you arguing with her? She's right!! We have to take precautions..."

"Look lady, you have to draw the line somewhere....Why should I keep a heavy bag on my lap when a luggage holder exists..I mean, it was created for the purpose of relieving the commuter, right?"

"The Railways are thinking of removing that"
"Even if you have a laptop,and its a crowded train, you should hold it with you"

"Then according to you, we should stay home all the time, right.."
I was tempted to say yes, Paranoia Queen, but desisted from doing so. They seemed agitated enough...

I don't understand. Is this the solution? Get commuters to hug their heavy bags, and take off the overhead luggage racks?
Didn't seem very rational to me...

So much for the spirit of Bombay...The bombs unfortunately seem to have turned everyone into irrational gits..I agree its scary. I am scared too. But you cannot live like this.
How long will they insist on the bags being kept on laps?