IISc terror: Bangalore pays for top cops' squabble

IISc terror: Bangalore pays for top cops' squabble
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The squabble in the top police brass in the State over creating an independent internal security squad for ‘information gathering and disseminating operation’ has resulted in police groping in dark, hours after terrorists attacked the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on Wednesday evening.

The idea was mooted in 2003, after realising that Bangalore was turning out to be a soft target of terrorists from being a safe hideout.

The Government decided to create a separate force on the lines with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of USA, which will act independently.

As per the move, many wings of the police department, including Anti Terrorist Cell, coastal security, internal security under the new force, drugs and narcotics, all terrorist activities and Naxal activities.

An officer of the rank of ADGP was posted and the Government wanted to shift the office of internal security wing outside the police headquarters to avoid any interference. The proposal included separate recruitment and training to the force.

Among the proposed wings, anti-terrorist and coastal security wings directly report to DG&IGP, the internal security comes under intelligence.

Sensing that the new proposal would curtail the importance of the coveted posts and create a new power centre, the proposal received a stiff resistance from top police officers.

The proposal was sent back to Home Ministry, requesting to delete coastal security, anti-terrorist squad, internal security and drugs & narcotics from the proposal.

Since then, the internal security wing turned out to be another top-heavy wing, without any infrastructure.

The whole proposal was a well thought idea after analysing the security threats to the City since 2000. Till then, the City was considered to be a safe hideout for the extremists like ULFA, LTTE and Naxalites.

However, the police received first hint over terrorists targeting Bangalore in 1998, when ISI backed Mumbai Mafiosis, on VIP abduction mission were arrested in KG Halli. Later, Pakistan based Deendar Anjuman, involved in series of Church blast were arrested in Bangalore. Since then, there had been many indications that Bangalore was in the hit list of terrorists.

A section of police officers are disappointed with the internal security wing not coming through.

“With the present growth, Bangalore needs a different kind of policing, rather than the traditional constabulary”.

“The police, trained in crime investigation are used for various works like door keeping, traffic management, law and order, passport verification and so on”.

“Hardly any professionalism is exhibited in handling the police force,'' they said.

“The State security is another aspect. In gathering intelligence, there is a lot of duplications. Since the State intelligence works more for political bosses, the security should be separated from it,'' they contend.

Indicators to terror attacks

* 1990's: ULFA activists arrested in Bangalore.

* 1991: Rajiv Gandhi assassins traced in Bangalore.

* 1998: ISI-backed Mumbai Mafia headed by Rashid Malbari arrested in K G Halli

* 2001: Suspected LeT member arrested near Wipro Chairman Azim Premji's house.

* 2002: Mumbai police gun down three LeT militants, who had base in Bangalore.

* Over the years, the number of Pakistanis missing from Bangalore is on raise.