The Hindu Business Line : Shocking lapses

WITHIN a matter of four days, there have been two shocking security lapses, admitted as such by the abashed spokespersons of Governments concerned, at two far ends of the country.

The first was on April 6, just a day before the historic resumption of bus service from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad, when the Tourist Complex at Srinagar, in which were lodged the 24 passengers who had booked their seats, was the target of attack by militants. The building went up in flames, reportedly because of the exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces, but the desperadoes were shot dead and the passengers themselves had a providential escape.

The second was on April 10, when the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr Wen Jiabao, was on a visit to the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore, and was actually engaged in a meeting with the scientists inside the premises. A Tibetan activist managed to get on to the balcony of the topmost floor, unfurl a red banner carrying the inscription "Free Tibet", wave the Tibetan flag, throw leaflets condemning the Chinese presence and shout anti-China slogans.

There cannot be any excuse in either case that the security agencies were taken by surprise by fedayeen suddenly bursting on the scene. In fact, for more than a month, the militants in Jammu and Kashmir were daily levelling threats that they were going to convert the buses into "coffins of corpses". Knowing their rabid fanaticism, there could have been no doubt that they would go to any lengths to make good their threats. Despite this, because of a deplorable breach of security, two militants were able to enter the complex and wreak havoc.

In Bangalore too, the program of the Chinese Premier was long known and yet apparently the places were not sanitised in a thorough manner, particularly when every visit of a Chinese dignitary in the past had been marked by similar ugly demonstrations. The protester could not have gained entry unless arrangements were lax and casual. One shudders to think what would have happened if he carried grenades instead of a flag and a banner.

In both the cases, the lapses should be probed by an independent, high-powered body specially set up for the purpose. The nation cannot simply take even an iota of a chance with its security.

B. S. Raghavan

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Shocking lapses