Was there a lapse in the security arrangements when two low-intensity bombs went off minutes ahead of the IPL T20 match on Saturday afternoon when 41,000 cricket fans had packed the Chinnaswamy stadium?
In view of Bangalore being high on the terror radar for the past few years and the vulnerability of such crowded stadiums to terror attacks, did the police do enough to sanitise the area?
Crucial match
Police Commissioner Shankar M. Bidari attributed the blasts to “mischief-mongers” who were hoping for the cancellation of the crucial match between the Royal Challengers of Bangalore and Mumbai Indians.
“In my view, the aim was to set off panic. The city police had sanitised the entire stadium early in the day and had carried out three anti-sabotage and anti-explosive checks. The two minor bomb blasts occurred 100 metres away from the stadium [so] I decided to permit the match to be played as per schedule, Mr. Bidari told The Hindu . “We are awaiting the results of the tests being carried out by the Forensic Science laboratory. I cannot, however, rule out the role of anti-national elements nor can I say that it is a security lapse. I'm confident the police will trace the culprits.”
The Police Commissioner, who is leading the investigations, said soon after the blasts an additional 6,000 police personnel were posted at the stadium apart from the 10,000 already on duty.
Private security
Bomb squads and sniffer dogs sanitised the area to eliminate the presence of explosive materials. There were also private security guards posted at the stadium by the organisers. However, they were mainly present to provide security cover to the players and team owners. But the fact remains that the two explosives that went off and the one that was defused were placed within the premises of the stadium. This suggests that the police had not checked the stadium and its vicinity thoroughly enough or worse still, the miscreants had placed the explosives after the security checks.
‘Aim to create panic'
Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya told The Hindu from Udupi that the blasts appeared to be a “mischievous attempt” to create panic and alarm. Incidentally, this is the first explosion that has taken place in the vicinity of a crowded stadium in the country.
