Plug the gaping holes in Parliament security setup

MP NATHANAEL

Former IG, CRPF

THE security breach in the Lok Sabha last week has rocked Parliament’s winter session, which began on December 4 and is scheduled to continue till December 22. The incident has led to a clamour for initiating remedial measures on priority. While the security of the old Parliament building had been made foolproof after the December 13, 2001, terror attack, the new building did not have the kind of enhanced security it warranted before being made functional. The process is still on.

Tenders were floated just a day before the December 13 intrusion for ‘redevelopment of the reception lounge and other security infrastructure in Parliament complex’; interested parties have been directed to submit their pre-qualification bids by December 22. The security aspects covered under the bid include bulletproof posts and the installation of various security gadgets. Even if work begins round the clock immediately after the project is awarded, it is bound to take a few months to be completed.

A contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), known as the Parliament Duty Group, headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG)-rank officer, guards the periphery and the gates to prevent any armed intrusion. CRPF constable Kamlesh Kumari Yadav had confronted armed terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, who had barged into the Parliament complex on December 13, 2001, in an Ambassador car, and alerted security personnel; she was shot dead by the terrorists. Kamlesh was posthumously awarded the highest peacetime gallantry award, Ashok Chakra, while five other CRPF personnel were awarded the Shaurya Chakra for their bravery in neutralising the terrorists.

The Delhi Police and the Parliament Security Services (PSS) — the erstwhile Watch and Ward staff of Parliament — are entrusted with the task of access control by way of checking the identities of all those who enter the Parliament building and frisking the visitors. With a strength of 930 personnel, the PSS is headed by an IPS officer of the rank of IGP (Inspector General of Police). He is assisted by two officers of the rank of DIG from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).

The post of IGP has been vacant since November 2 after the incumbent was repatriated to his parent cadre. Since the IGP is the overall incharge of security of Parliament and, thereby, a very important functionary, there was no reason why the post should have been left vacant at all. In fact, before the incumbent’s repatriation, his successor should have been attached for at least three months for familiarisation with various security aspects of the Parliament complex.

The overall strength of security personnel in Parliament should not be compromised under any circumstances. On the day of the incident, there were just 176 personnel deployed on Parliament security instead of the usual strength of 301 — a shortfall of 125. With such a drastic depletion in strength, the security stood compromised; this was an open invitation to disaster. Strict adherence to the security protocol is called for.

In the visitors’ gallery of Parliament, from where the intruders jumped into the Lok Sabha hall, the barrier was not high enough to prevent anyone from jumping. This was a serious security lapse. Had a proper security audit of the entire building been done, the shortcomings could have been identified and rectified.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up a committee, headed by CRPF Director General Anish Dayal Singh, to look into the lapses that led to this incident and suggest measures to strengthen the security of Parliament. Since some experts from other security agencies have been included in the committee, the recommendations submitted by them will go a long way in plugging the loopholes in the existing system.

Even after the committee submits its report, there will be a need for periodic audits of the security protocol. While miscreants or terrorists invent novel ways of bypassing the security cordons, there must be a continuous exercise to upgrade the system. The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Security in Parliament Complex, which functions under the Lok Sabha Speaker, needs to be re-constituted and made functional. With several retired senior IPS officers serving as MPs, their experience and knowledge could be put to effective use to enhance Parliament’s security.

Fortunately, the two men who jumped into the Lok Sabha hall had no violent intentions. But the fact that they managed to enter with smoke canisters concealed in their shoes is an eye-opener for security agencies. Since the canisters were probably made of plastic, they may not have been detected by the metal detectors and hence the duo was able to make an entry and cause a ruckus in the Lok Sabha. A thorough checking of shoes should now be a part of frisking, as is done at many airports.

The grant of passes to visit Parliament House must be restricted. MPs should get a background check conducted on individuals seeking a visitor’s pass before recommending their cases. The lawmakers should never hesitate from denying passes to those whom they do not know personally, even if the applicants belong to their constituency.

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