Security at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at Devanahalli has been heightened since Tuesday night following an alert by the central agencies that there was a threat by terrorist groups to “blow it up”.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East division) B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda told The Hindu on Wednesday that following a communication by the central agencies, the Bangalore City Police, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials held a series of meetings and were coordinating the security measures at the airport.
Lifts shut down
In view of the threat, the authorities have shut down all the lifts in the passenger terminal till Friday. Security, particularly on the landside, has been beefed up by deploying additional forces. Anti-sabotage checks have been conducted in parking lots, taxi bays, kerbside and other areas on the landside, Mr. Gowda said.
The CISF personnel, who provide airside security, have been screening all the departing passengers at the four departure gates, a practice normally not followed. Usually they and their baggage are allowed inside the terminal building without any screening.
There are no door-frame metal detectors at the departure gates and anyone with an air ticket — domestic or international — can enter the terminal building along with the baggage without undergoing any security checks.
Not foolproof
Although the existing security plan at the BIA had been approved by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), senior police officials, as well as some from the CISF, are of the view that it is not foolproof.
Security checks are conducted only on the first floor of the terminal building after passengers collect boarding passes from the ground-floor counters of the respective airlines.
According to CISF sources, BIA was following “the central area security plan”, which does not provide for screening passengers and baggage at the departure gates. All the airports in the country followed the central area security plan.
Only the Srinagar airport had the “concourse security plan”, under which passenger and baggage screening is done at the departure gates.
However, the surveillance and vigilance wing of the CISF did “random profiling” of passengers regularly to ensure safety at the BIA.
Based on intelligence and other inputs, certain individuals were thoroughly screened at the entry gates, sources said.