Date:20/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/20/stories/2006102011650500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Bangalore not high on agenda of terrorists'

Staff Reporter

WELCOME: Director-General of Police B.S. Sial (centre) greeting National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan before the latter's address to senior police officials of the State in Bangalore on Thursday. Tamil Nadu's Director-General of Police and chairma n and managing Director of Police Housing Corporation K.P. Jain is with them. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE: National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan on Thursday said that at the moment Bangalore was certainly not high on the agenda of terrorists, going by the available information and intelligence inputs.

After addressing a meeting of senior police officials of the State here, Mr. Narayanan told presspersons that as far as information technology (IT) was considered, Bangalore was an important centre. "As you know IT installations are among their targets. But at the moment there is no additional or new threat, which has provoked my visit to Bangalore," he said.

Asked about the threat perception to Bangalore in general, he said there were few places in the world that no longer faced threat from terrorists.

"I think it is important to sensitise the officials across the country on the security scenario," he observed.

Mr. Narayanan said the meeting with senior police officials here provided him an opportunity to understand the ground realties. "One has to have micro and macro views."

Senior police officials of the rank of the Superintendent of Police and above from the State participated in the meeting. Tamil Nadu's Director-General of Police and chairman and managing Director of Police Housing Corporation K.P. Jain was present.

In his introductory remarks, the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police B.S. Sial said Mr. Narayanan was here to sensitise the officials on the national security scenario and explain what was expected of the police in the present scenario.