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Time for industrial and corporate security

— PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI

KEEPING VIGIL: Security check in progress at a plaza in Chennai.

Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bangalore again, Ahmedabad once more, and a series of unexploded devices and car bombs were found in Surat. It all amounts to ‘economic terrorism’ — or targeting of business and economic targets in the country. The serial blasts in some of the economic and industry hubs in India have unravelled a parallel and proxy war by terrorist groups from within and outside the country. In many of these cases, the modus operandi and the explosives used have been similar or even identical. There have been some powerful blasts as in the case of Mumbai, Jaipur, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. Aside from creating a sense of panic and terror, the focus of these extremist activities has also shifted to soft and economic targets — not just symbols of government or its security apparatus.

Though the car bombs and the explosive devices could have caused severe damage in Surat, that tragedy has been averted, at least for now. It remains unclear if the explosions were deliberately not triggered, or failed to go off for other reasons. It is unimaginable how they could be planted in front of hospitals and even on trees — without getting noticed by bystanders or passersby.

The latest string of blasts has again raised the fundamental question – can they be prevented, or will the government and the security forces only keep responding to these crisis situations? What can be the kind of security arrangement for the private sector, and should the government or its police force have a role in it?

Industry and corporates seem to be divided on this issue. But the blasts have triggered a serious debate both in government and among industry to evolve a credible security system that can either prevent the recurrence of these blasts, or at least put in place a mechanism to respond swiftly to the challenges they pose.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) sources say that, as of now, the security arrangements are entirely in the hands of the private sector. Many of them hire senior, retired police officers or ex-servicemen to work out a system and monitor it. “Many industries are in constant touch with the local police for any assistance and we also know of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) providing consultancy for the larger units,” explains a CII official.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil spoke of a proposal to amend the CISF Act to enable it to provide security to the private sector, especially in the case of the IT sector and Bangalore. The Centre, which proposes to convene a meeting of chief ministers on the internal security issue, should come up with a practical and viable plan to provide visible and tangible security to industry and economic establishments. Whether it should deploy the CISF or empower the States to augment their police resources to step up security for these areas is a matter of detail that can be discussed.

A former Additional Director General of Police, who headed the intelligence establishment in Tamil Nadu for a few years, insists that the problem has escalated essentially because of intelligence failure — and failure can be of many types: Lack of sharing of intelligence between the Centre and the States, among the States; no follow up on specific intelligence provided to a State; and more critically, the virtual break down of field intelligence — of the foot soldiers in the intelligence organisation gathering, collating and interpreting bits and pieces of useful information and tip offs.

Only a strong intelligence system and network can enable the security forces to confront terrorism of this kind, the retired officer argues. Following the blasts and a general alert in many States, the police chiefs at the State and the city levels have been interacting with the corporates, their security managers or agencies, and focusing specially on the IT sector. It is for them to hammer out a cooperative and collaborative mechanism to provide credible security to prevent such incidents, and also to put in place a disaster management system to follow up when they do take place. The police must look more closely at the innumerable shopping centres and malls that have mushroomed in all towns and cities.

Setting up functional closed circuit TV cameras and monitoring them become critical now. Given the congregation of people in these centres, a car bomb in any basement or parking lot can cause a major tragedy. That remains an Achilles heel in the whole system, along with the corrupt practices by which means miscreants, militants, and even extremists gain access or entry.

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