The police commandos slotted ammunition clips into their assault rifles and checked their automatic pistols. It was 10.40 a.m. on Friday. Their mission was to counter a simulated armed intrusion into the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. The exercise was part of a routine security drill.
The 20 men, dressed in black combat fatigues, hustled into a van that rushed them from a nearby police establishment to the temple in less than five minutes.
Quick response
Police patrol vehicles, their sirens wailing and red lights flashing, cleared the way for the “striking force,” leaving stunned motorists in their wake.
The convoy also included ambulances, fire engines and vehicles of the police anti-sabotage unit and the dog squad.
On alert
The 20 armed plainclothesmen posted inside the temple were already in a heightened state of alert. Outside, 85 armed men, including 30 commandos, were on standby.
Police technicians ran diagnostic tests on the temple’s computerised security systems.
Surveillance
The surveillance cameras, bollards, blockers, baggage scanners, metal detectors, turnstiles, fortified doors, motion detectors and fire sensors, and the miles of cabling that linked the devices to the integrated security control room appeared to be in order.
Soon, a second alert sounded. “A bomb near the North Gate,” it said.
A message flashed from the police control room to the district magistrate’s office. “Prepare to admit mass causalities,” it read.
The Government Fort Hospital went into emergency mode. Beds were readied and plasma and blood stocked. Additional doctors and paramedical staff arrived.
End of alert
The alert was called off at 11.15 a.m. The police had achieved their primary objective of improving their response time.
“Every contingency plan looks good on paper and only constant repetition will reveal the flaws inherent in them,” J. Sukumaran Pillai, Deputy Commissioner in-charge of the temple security, said.