Tackling bombs

Varun Chadha / TNN / Feb 25, 2007, 02:59 IST

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The latest chink in the cops' armour was exposed when an abandoned suitcase was found outside Majestic Hotel.

MOHALI: Security seems to be a complete bomb in Mohali, which was bestowed district status a few months back. The latest chink in the cops' armour was exposed on Friday when an abandoned suitcase was found outside Majestic Hotel.
Perplexed policemen tried their best to inspect the suitcase, suspecting it to be carrying a bomb, with batons in their
hands.Reason: There is neither bomb defusing squad in the district nor is there the equipment required for this exercise.
And this is a matter of grave concern, as the place is near Chandigarh. Police had sent a request to the headquarters ten months ago, asking them to do the needful, but no reply has come.

As such, police bank on Patiala and Chandigarh police for the bomb-defusing squad. In case of emergencies, help from these places will take at least one hour to reach - sufficient time for any bomb to create havoc.
On Friday when police got a call from Majestic Hotel about the abandoned suitcase, a team from phase-VIII police station reached the spot in no time.
They cordoned off the area and asked people to keep at a distance. The senior police officers also reached the spot and started discussing the next possible measure to take.

In the meantime, two policemen inspected the suitcase by hitting it with their batons. Had there been a bomb inside, imagine how dangerous it could have been. A similar botched-up incident had claimed two cops' lives in West Bengal.
Don't be surprised. This is a routine exercise whenever there is any such situation, according to a cop. "While the officers were thinking to contact Patiala and Chandigarh for their bomb squads, I, on the instruction of seniors, asked the cops to hit the bag and retreat immediately,"he admitted.
Ideally, the district police should have bombproof suits, explosive detectors, mine detectors, wireless broadcasting systems, quipped vehicles, listening devices and x-ray equipment for screening packages.
But the Mohali police is still waiting for all these things to come their way.

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