To strengthen the State intelligence division, the Karnataka Government will create a separate intelligence information cadre that will coordinate with the intelligence inputs from various other agencies, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in Bengaluru on Monday.
Addressing presspersons after a meeting with top police officials in the wake of Sunday’s Church Street blast, the Chief Minister said 40 software engineers will be inducted into the police department. These professionals will be entrusted with the task of analysing and detecting cyber crime cases, he said.
Law to enforce vigil in public places
The Chief Minister, who discussed safety and precautionary measures that need to be initiated in public places in view of Sunday’s blast, said the Government will soon enact a law that makes it mandatory to put in place certain public safety measures in all establishments. This act will be on the lines of Andhra Pradesh Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2013.
The AP Act makes it mandatory for all establishments, where a gathering of 100 or more people is expected at a time, to provide access controls and install closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras, he said.
No intelligence failure
Asserting that there was no intelligence failure in the State, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the department had sounded a high-alert. Security has been beefed up in the city, especially in all public places including malls, hospitals and places of worship. Police ‘bandobust’ has been enhanced in the five-km radius of Vidhana Soudha, he said.
People who provide vital clues on those behind the blast or any acts of terror in future will be suitably rewarded. “We will come out with a reward policy and protecting the confidentiality of the informants will be a major aspect of this policy,” he said.
A special investigation team headed by Alok Kumar, Additional Commissioner (Law and Order), that is probing Sunday’s blast is looking at all angles. “They are examining whether this is the handiwork of the six SIMI activists who have escaped from Madhya Pradesh jail or any other local organisation. They are also examining all angles including whether there is any link between similar terror acts in the past blast and the current blast.
All senior officials in districts had been instructed to take adequate measures to ensure law and order and there will be no compromise on public safety,” he said.
Compensation
The Government will give a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the family of the blast victim, Bhavani, and provide the best medical attention to the other injured persons, the Chief Minister said.
He said he had directed the officials to reschedule the 2 a.m. deadline for New Year celebrations to 1 a.m.
