After the working condition of bomb detection equipment used during the security arrangements for the 44th Chess Olympiad, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July in Chennai, was not found to be satisfactory, senior police officers across Tamil Nadu have been directed to conduct an audit of gadgets used by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), police sources said on Tuesday. A report on the audit has to be submitted to the police headquarters.
The sources said the BDDS uses equipment such as hand-held metal detector, door frame metal detector and explosive vapour detector for VVIP security, and for conducting anti-sabotage checks.
During Mr. Modi’s visit, BDDS teams were deployed during the inaugural ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium to screen players, officials, political party functionaries and members of the public.
Security for Mr. Modi, one of the most protected leaders in the country, is provided by the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) in close coordination with the Central/State intelligence agencies and the local police.
Three months after the visit of the VVIP, a routine audit of the arrangements revealed certain discrepancies in the functioning of the bomb detection equipment used by the BDDS, the sources said.
Since preliminary inquiries revealed that a sizeable number of the equipment had exceeded their life span or operational efficiency with no annual maintenance contract for servicing them, the police headquarters had written to the Commissioners/Superintendents of Police of all cities/districts to conduct an inspection of BDDS gadgets under their purview and submit a report, the sources said.
If the functioning of any equipment was found to be faulty, the police officers were told to either get them repaired or replaced as per the guidelines. The Security Branch-CID of the State Intelligence is in charge of security arrangements for VVIPs/VIPs, depending upon the threat perceptions and their scale of security, the sources said.
Routine exercise
However, a senior police officer said, “This is a routine exercise conducted every year. Had there been any security lapse during the visit of the Prime Minister, the SPG or other competent agency would have taken up the issue with the Tamil Nadu government. The Additional Director-General of Police, Intelligence, has initiated the process of equipment audit as a routine measure.”
Asked for his comments, Director-General of Police C. Sylendra Babu told The Hindu on Tuesday that there was no communication from the Union government (as claimed by BJP leader K. Annamalai) on any security lapse during the visit of the Prime Minister to the Chess Olympiad.
We’re well positioned’
He said the Tamil Nadu police were well positioned in quality and quantity when it came to anti-sabotage equipment in the country. “We recently gave our equipment to Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands for VIP bandobust there… A routine stock-taking exercise for condemnation of the existing equipment and purchase of new ones has been mistaken,” Mr. Babu said.
