Bengaluru: Beat constables ill-trained to handle terror attacks

Bengaluru: Is Bengaluru prepared for a 'Holey Artisan Bakery' kind of a terrorist attack? The answer unfortunately is an obvious 'no.' Even as the government has given a green signal to night life to showcase Bengaluru as a safe city,
the private security apparatus at the plush resto bars, pubs and malls, which bustle with expats and young crowd, especially on the weekends is appalling to say the least. The beat constables, who are the first responders, are also ill-trained to assess and respond to a terror strike.

The weekend crowd at any of City's hotspots, watering holes and eateries are 'captive targets' for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fidayeens, who are out on a killing mission to attract global attention by hitting where it hurts most and drawing the world's attention that there is no place beyond their reach.

The pattern of ISIS terror strikes, which is also a battle with Al Qaeda to claim supremacy over its mentor in the global terror map has in the last six months extended from Bataclan theatre in Paris on November 13, 2015, which killed 130 people to June 12 shootout at 'Pulse', a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida in which 49 people were killed and 53 injured and this week's twin mayhem; at Ataturk international airport in Istanbul in which 44 people were killed and 239 injured in a serial suicide bombing attack to Friday night's terrorist attack at 'Holey Artisan Bakery' in Dhaka's plush Gulshan area.

The ISIS dragon is on the carnage move and Bengaluru could easily be the next target considering it is the only cosmopolitan city in the country with a sizeable expat population, top multi national companies (MNCs), the Israeli consulate, India's top defence and science facilities and a healthy mix of communities, which includes the religious and sexuality minorities, who are high on the hate list of the extremists.

The private security personnel in pubs, bars and malls either have dysfunctional door and hand held metal detectors or are barely trained to detect any security threat or a weapon or explosive, which can easily be slipped inside these public places.

"The emergency number '100' to seek police assistance is most often not working and the recently announced National emergency number '1092' also does not work. The State should on a priority basis have the emergency numbers functioning as the first step towards counter terrorism strategy. They should also develop an App, which can be downloaded on smart phones. The police control rooms should be equipped with quick reaction teams," said an officer on condition of anonymity.

"Karnataka's elite counter terror force 'Gaurda' is well trained by serving Army officers but it is more useful for anti-Naxal operations. We need an emergency 'alarm and first aid kits' for a hostage or sabotage situation and better training for select police on the lines of UK's elite Special Weapons And Training (SWAT) unit," the officer added.