Hyderabad: Thorough failure of the intelligence wing of the Andhra Pradesh police has left the lives of VVIPs in danger during electioneering for the May 13 state and Lok Sabha polls.
With the police cracking the case of attack against Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and the Telugu Desam-led Opposition admitting that the injury was not self-inflicted, the focus now shifted to the failure of the intelligence department, headed by senior police official P.S.R. Anjaneyulu, in its primary duty of intelligence gathering.
Amidst the growing demand to take action against officials responsible for the security lapses that led to the attack on the Chief Minister, Chief Electoral Officer M.K. Meena said the central observer on police matters would review the incident and recommend necessary action.
Significantly, then intelligence chief Shivashankar was the first to be shunted out of post following the Maoist attack on then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at Alipiri on his way to Tirumala in October 2003.
According to security experts, the reaction of Jagan Mohan Reddy’s security team to the stone-pelting incident also exposed lack of preparedness, which, they said, was a result of poor training imparted by the senior intelligence officials.
“In our basic training we are taught that we may not be able to anticipate the first shot on the VIP but should not allow the second shot to be fired. The video clearly shows that the security officials surrounding Jagan did not even realise that the subject was hit and did not react for some time,” a former intelligence chief told Deccan Chronicle. This exposed chinks in the training of security personnel, he added.
The intelligence department’s primary duty is the gathering of intelligence and providing effective security to mainly political leaders. The poll campaign in Andhra Pradesh has become highly sensitive and the campaign has seen leaders of both the YSRC and TD-led alliance whipping up emotions.
“The Chief Minister’s route is pre-arranged and it was known that the convoy would pass through areas where the Opposition’s presence is also high,” a senior YSR Congress leader pointed out.
According to locals, Ajith Singh Nagar is a volatile area with some of the residents getting involved in criminal cases. As per police also the local TD leader got in touch with the accused and his friends and hatched conspiracy to attack Jagan Mohan Reddy and the intelligence wing failed to smell the conspiracy.
Senior intelligence officials also failed to assess the dangerous situation arising out of power cut to facilitate the convoy of the Chief Minister with huge garlands carried by a crane and did not suggest alternative arrangements, said another police official.
