BENGALURU: The calm at IISc was shattered on that fateful day 10 years ago by a terrorist attack. The staff remember that Black Wednesday to this day.
Hanumantharaju, a gardener for the past 25 years at IISc, recalled that there was an atmosphere of fear for days following the attack. “It happened on the other side of the road,” he said, referring to the J N Tata Auditorium. “Even though we thought we were safe, there was some fear,” he said.
Following the incident, security was stregthened, say old-timers. A security guard said that about 270 personnel are hired under contract, while 11 permanent security employees are still working there. “After the incident, as soon as permanent employees retired, the posts were filled up with contract personnel. This might have helped the institute to increase personnel by more than three times the number present in 2005,” he said.
A research scholar, Suresh Kumar, said that even though adequate security personnel were at the campus, there was an entry point near the Hostel Block, through which anyone posing as a student could get through. “Even though several people visit the campus, if security has to be improved, there should be regulation at the gate,” he added.
Amit Kumar Sendre, a student, recollects reading about the incident. He said usually authorities wake up and focus on security only when such incidents occur .