Though it has been 20 years since bomb blasts rocked Mumbai in 1993, we do not have a standard procedure on how to secure a site affected by terror attack, former Union home secretary and Padma Bhushan recipient K Padmanabhaiah has said.
He was speaking as chief guest at the national workshop on counter-terrorism, organised by the Centre for Human Security Studies (CHSS) and the AP Police Academy (APPA) here on Thursday.
After Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, India suffers more from terrorism compared to American, European and Euro-Asian countries, he said, adding a number of deaths were reported in India due to terrorism between 2004-2007.
“There should be a standard manual explaining clearly each and every step of the operating procedure,” he said.
Padmanabhaiah pointed out that though we have excellent police officers to counter terrorism, lack of political will is hampering it. “Wrong men are occupying key posts; adequate funds are not allotted; available resources of departments are misused; and there is direct interference in cases. If this continues, it affects the confidence of efficient officers,” he cautioned.
The three-day workshop seeks to assess India’s internal security preparedness, understand potential terror threats to national security, and examine the counter-terror mechanisms in other countries and make recommendations.
Speaking about the measures to contain terrorism, former DGP HJ Dora, who was guest of honour at the event, said the initiative of police agencies, leadership, team and technical building play an important role. “Countering terrorism is extremely difficult not because terrorists are strong, but open societies restrict security agencies from performing jobs,” he said.
“There should be a dedicated set of people who can work on even small leads. Our experience teaches that we have to be constantly vigilant and pursue even small information,” said Dora.
Participants include serving and retired police officers, university professors, representatives of companies dealing with technology.