TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The combined security agencies exercise ~ Operation Sagar Kavach ~ exposed glaring security lapses, when decoy ‘fidayeens’ landed via sea route in the North, and one of them sneaked into the well-guarded Legislative Assembly complex and succeeded in planting a simulated bomb beneath a minister’s official car parked in the complex on Friday, intelligence sources said.
As search for the decoy terrorists was on, the security agencies were once again left red-faced when the decoy eluded them on the concluding day of the maritime security exercise.
The police department is most likely to do intensive brain storming and launch an inquiry to fix the chinks in their security armour, which were to be fixed with the security exercise.
The mock drill, which began on Wednesday, was staged to measure the alertness of security agencies including the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Coastal Police, Goa Police and other agencies.
The security lapse during the ongoing Budget session of the Legislative Assembly has rung alarm bells on the level of safety of the presumably well-protected complex. The decoy terrorist planted a fake bomb below the minister’s car bearing GA-03-G-4664 (supposedly of a minister) which was parked in the basement of the ministerial complex towards the North.
Deputy Superintendent of Police N C Raikar said the decoy terrorist entered the complex from behind by jumping the compound wall. “He came from the hill-side, jumped over the boundary wall and planted the fake bomb,” he informed.
Sources said that the second decoy was however stopped by security when he tried to enter into the ministerial block with the second fake bomb in his hand.
The police later continued their exercise by getting the bomb squad and sniffer dogs to defuse the fake bomb, which was ‘successful’.
Earlier, when the exercise began, the ‘blue intelligence’ team received inputs that decoy fidayeens had landed ashore using the sea route and are likely to attack places of prominence like hotels or crowded areas in north Goa.
Sagar Kavach, a post-26/11 maritime exercise was planned as a joint operation between the security agencies, the fisheries department and fishermen, to improve the Standard Operating Procedure between agencies and to plug the loopholes in the maritime security cover.
The teams however tasted success at the fag end of the exercise when the Konkan Railway police detained two decoy terrorists along with dummy bomb and pistol while traveling in a local train to Collem. The exercise was called off at 6 pm.
VASCO
The two-day Sagar Kavach operation ended today even as people had to face a little hardship because of the traffic jams caused due to the naka bandis conducted by the police as part of the exercise.
According to sources at Vasco Police, the Coast Guard on Thursday intercepted a fishing trawler, but it was released after verifying the documents on Friday.
Sources said the police witnessed normalcy as people were aware of the exercise being conducted by different agencies.
When asked if there were any traffic jams due to the search operations conducted by them, the source informed that there were minor traffic jams as the police had to search cars and verify the identify of persons.
“Though there were minor traffic jams, motorists were co-operative and allowed the police to carry out their duties. However, those going to Dabolim were little anxious as they had to reach Dabolim airport on time to catch their respective flights,” added the source.
MARGAO
Day two of Sagar Kavach attracted criticism as the operation caused hardship and inconvenience to citizens visiting the District Collectorate building.
Complaints of litigants reporting late for court hearings in the Collectorate rent the air as a huge serpentine queue of citizen was the order of the day as armed policemen carried out a thorough check of each and every visitor to the building.
Activist Laurel Abranches said citizens have no grievance against the operation, but complained about its haphazard implementation. “While visitors were checked at the main gate and entrance, no one manned the compound wall, giving enough room for anyone to sneak into the building.”
Meanwhile, Konkan Railway police passed the alertness test as part of the exercise. PSI D K Sawant and his team detained two suspects who entered the cabin of the station master to take him hostage.
A police personnel attached to the Coast Guard and a policeman were asked to board the Vasco-Collem train and alight at the Margao railway station and take the station master hostage. The exercise, however, failed as alert police foiled the attempt. A pistol and a bomb were found in possession of the suspects. On verification it was found that the pistol and the bomb were fake.
CANACONA
Law enforcement agencies were unmindful of the State’s porous border check-post at Polem in Canacona taluka.
Canacona PI Harischandra Madkaikar said the police this time had given more emphasis on coastal areas at Agonda, Palolem and Talpona-Poinguinim by conducting naka bandis at specific locations.
But the check post at Polem was devoid of any police security check, providing a safe passage for any terrorist or insurgent entering the State.
Except for the excise personnel, who only keep an eye on the flow of alcohol or excise items leaving the State’s boundary, no policeman guards the border or checks infiltrations of any kind with ammunitions or explosives.
This has been the case ever since police dismantled the gate at Polem check post in March 2010. Even the installed CCTV cameras are not operational at the check post.
PONDA
No untoward incident or traffic jams were reported during the two-day security exercise drill. Ponda Police had organised naka bandis at various places along the NH-4A at Khandepar and Farmagudi. The Mollem check post was also being monitored by the police team.
According to sources, police personnel also monitored various points in the taluka from where there were possibilities of an attack.
“As part of security cover, we had undertaken nakabandis at Khandepar and Farmagudi. The police personnel also monitored about 15 points identified from where possible attack could take place. The exercise was carried out successfully,” informed DySP Dinraj Govenkar.
