The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Second quarter of 2007 proves a challenge to police

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Saturday, Dec 29, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Second quarter of 2007 proves a challenge to police

Tragedy returned to haunt the police, after the Mecca Masjid blast, in the form of the twin blasts snuffing out over 40 lives on August 25, writes Marri Ramu

Except the serial killings of seven labourers in Rajendranagar that came to light in the first week of January, the year 2007 began on a peaceful note for the police in the State capital.

But the real test to policing came in the second quarter of the year when a bomb exploded in Mecca Masjid on May 18, leaving nine persons dead.

Another five were killed in police firing as the blast triggered violence.

Even before the police could ascertain who triggered the explosion and started sensitising citizens about security at public places, tragedy returned to haunt them with the twin blasts snuffing out over 40 lives on August 25 at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat.

Twin tasks

From then, tracking the culprits responsible for the two shocking terror strikes and ensuring that such attacks did not recur were the main tasks for the police.

Fortunately, no such incident occurred, though a powerful bomb found close to Chandanagar railway track in November panicked the police and the public alike. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as the police later confirmed that the bomb was aimed at settling personal scores by a mason.

Unusually, the police had a tough time tackling not some issues that were not purely law and order related.

Dog bite

After a seven-month-old baby boy Ritesh was bitten to death by stray dogs on the Musi bank, attacks by dogs became an issue both for the civic and the police authorities with many such incidents being reported often.

A similar issue was security at the Government hospitals.

White collar crimes up

Kidnaps for ransom, cyber and white collar crimes increased. Some sensational cases like the murder of 12-year-old boy Rahul, who was alone at home after school in April at Rajendranagar, remain unsolved.

But the threat from terrorist outfits, the preparedness of the police to tackle terrorist attacks and security at private and public places posed challenges to the police.

Though the Government announced plans to form an anti-terrorist operations agency christened Octopus, it is yet to materialise.

Twin blasts

While police sources claimed a breakthrough in the Mecca Masjid blast case, the plotters and executors of the twin blasts are yet to be identified. The fact that the police failed to thwart the twin blasts even after the Mecca Masjid incident sent the alarms bells ringing leaves a lot to be desired.

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