NEW DELHI, 15 December — Indian Home Minister L.K. Advani had full intelligence information of a terrorist attack on parliament. Despite this, no measures were taken to tighten security in and around the Parliament House with the five attackers driving in past two security parameters manned by the Delhi police and the Central Reserve Police Force, unchallenged.
In his first reaction to the terrorist attack, Advani claimed, "There has been no breach of security." He said there was "no intelligence lapse." He said on television that there could be no protection against "fidayeen" (suicide) attacks maintaining that they even "had the temerity to attack America’s Pentagon." The home minister said it was not possible to provide foolproof security cover in a democracy "where everything was open."
The Home Ministry has been flooded with intelligence information about a possible attack on parliament by terrorists. The other two targets were identified as Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Prime Minister’s residence. Intelligence reports have also suggested the use of women suicide squads.
These have also spoken of terrorists using government vehicles and vehicles to launch the attack, similar to the modus operandi of the groups in Jammu and Kashmir for over a decade now. Despite this information, the security agencies were not alerted. The terrorists used a white ambassador car with a red light, the symbol of government officialdom.
They wore the uniforms of the Black Cat commandos, and were detected only after they got out of the car and displayed their weapons in full public view. Advani, who had been full of praise for the Delhi police, did not explain how the two security rings manned by the police outside parliament were penetrated by the attackers with such ease.
In fact, Defense Minister George Fernandes stepped out of line by admitting before the cameras that the government had full information about a possible attack on parliament. He said, "We had intelligence information of this, we knew that the "fidayeen" could attack parliament." Even so, the home minister claimed there had been no intelligence lapse while briefing reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet committee on security yesterday.
Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha Najma Heptullah, who was in her room in parliament when it was attacked, said, "The home minister knew of the Al-Qaeda threat, he should have increased the security in parliament." She said she had herself asked for measures to be taken to beef up parliament security. "There are all these people roaming around all over the building" but nothing had been done.
Interestingly, Advani himself spoke of a threat to parliament at a Border Security Force function a few days ago. Officials point out that despite the security threat little was done to take stock of the entire situation and work out a comprehensive strategy to deal with it.
"It was all in the realm of talk, we have always known that the attackers have been using and would use the cover of the government-like vehicles and uniforms to penetrate our security layers, but obviously we were unable to get this across to our people," a senior official said.
It was pointed out that past recommendations to tighten security have not been implemented.
The Home Ministry has made no move to ensure careful and regular monitoring of the security forces. Suggestions for a united security force under one command have not been taken seriously even though senior officials like K.P.S. Gill have been advocating it for years. Under Advani there has not been a single meeting in the Home Ministry to work out a strategy to counter the increased threat.
Sources pointed out that apart from routine meetings where the "usual we-should-beef-up security" point is discussed, there has been no attempt by the Home Ministry to actually work out: one, the threat perception through a concrete analysis of intelligence and supporting evidence; two, the modus operandi likely to be adopted by terrorists and three, counter measures. The sources said the response till now had been "knee jerk with the usual these can be the targets so double the force." And this force too is dependent on the availability of policemen on any particular day.
Advani has been unable to give a new direction to the officials or the Delhi police. Monitoring is left to what sources describe as "favorites" with Delhi Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma being a topper on this list. There is a sense of complacency that has come to mark the functioning of the Home Ministry, a retired official regretted, adding that "hot pursuit can never be a substitute for preventive action."
Commenting on the home minister’s expressed helplessness in the face of suicide squads, he said, "It is true that nobody can succeed against the ‘fidayeen’ but one can at least create a security environment which makes it impossible for them to even get near the target." In this case they reached the gates of parliament, and it was sheer luck that the MPs were not outside at the time. (The Asian Age)
