Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 04, 2007
ePaper
Online edition of India's National Newspaper Tuesday, Sep 04, 2007 ePaper |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Andhra Pradesh |
|
News:
ePaper |
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Jobs | Obituary |
Andhra Pradesh
There is need for a special unit to tackle terror plots, writes Marri Ramu
After the twin terror strikes on August 25, the Hyderabad police faced criticism for failing to react to an intelligence alert about the attacks. While some felt the twin blasts could have been averted if adequate searches were conducted, city police officers opined that the alert was too vague to initiate any preventive measure. However, none raised the question of why the city police should wait for a warning from the Intelligence Bureau or any other source. The failure of the city police intelligence gathering mechanism also came into sharp focus. But the irony is that not a single policeman of the 8,000-odd strong city police force is assigned the task of gathering intelligence about terrorist organisations or modules. It is not that the city police do not have an intelligence gathering mechanism. Like in all other police units, there is the Special Branch wing in the City Police Commissionerate, which is billed as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Commissioner. But officers of the SB are confined to the tasks relating to passport enquiry and keeping track of political developments. The Commissioner’s Task Force sleuths, who are provided slightly better infrastructure, are directed only to focus on history-sheeters and sensational offences. The Detective Department, in which officers of the rank of Inspectors are not even given vehicles and sufficient fuel, is too ill-equipped to monitor terrorist modules. From 1993 beginning, with the Jalees Ansari group that triggered tiffin box bombs in the city to the suicide bomber attack on the Commissioner’s Task Force office at Begumpet in 2005, there has been a clear pattern and spurt in the terrorist attacks targeting the city. Whatever breakthrough achieved in earlier terrorist attack cases was the result of the initiative and hard work of some individual officers. But the higher-ups failed to recognise the need to carve out a special unit to tackle terrorist plots the way they established Special Intelligence Branch to face the challenge from left wing extremists. Soon after the suicide bomber attack, a special wing headed by an Inspector was set up in the Task Force but eventually it had been done away with. Ditto is the situation of the Cyberabad police who don’t have enough strength to manage day-to-day law and order situation leave alone watching movements of terrorist modules. Perhaps that’s the reason why the police in the State capital are completely at sea and depend totally on the inputs from Central intelligence agencies or Counter Intelligence of the State whenever terrorist organisations strike. The terrorist modules behind the suicide bomber attack were busted with inputs from Counter Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau. Some police officers opine that had a special unit, proposals for which have been mooted now, been formed after the suicide bomber attack, the Mecca Masjid blast and the twin blasts could have been investigated faster.
Printer friendly
page
News:
ePaper |
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | The Hindu ePaper | Business Line | Business Line ePaper | Sportstar | Frontline | Publications | eBooks | Images | Home |
Copyright © 2007, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
