The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Probe on into security lapse

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 02, 2006
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Probe on into security lapse

G Anand

`No evidence of plot so far'

Thiruvananthapuram: The State police are likely to review the established practice of hiring private vehicles for leading convoys of visiting dignitaries, official sources have said.

The Prime Minister' convoy had got stuck for nearly three minutes at a traffic point in the city on Tuesday night when the driver of the hired vehicle leading the motorcade took a wrong turn. The police intelligence wing has started inquiring into the incident. Officials said, so far, no evidence of any plot has been found. However, a serious error of judgement on the part of the "pilot officer" in the lead car could not be ruled out.

The Tourism department had hired the pilot car from a travel agency in Jagathy. The driver had little experience in piloting VIP motorcades. His health condition was suspect. The "Marshal" of the motorcade was responsible for selecting the pilot car.

The police have a large fleet of new vehicles and also men instructed in "offensive and defensive" driving at the Border Security Force's training facility in Gwalior. But these resources were apparently not used for the VIP duty.

The police were likely to verify the Tourism department's criteria for selecting private vehicles for VIP duty. It would also inquire whether the regional transport authority had inspected the selected vehicles for mechanical faults.

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