ONE CIGARETTE CAN GET YOU THERE..........!!!!!!!!!. Review on Patna Police

Its year 2005 and we already have crossed its midway. Reports from the premier intelligence agencies of the country like RAW and IB say that the threat perception for the country in terms of terror attacks or threat to the key installations be it civilian or defence, apart from the people stands the highest as on date. We are only second to the big brother i.e. US in terms error strikes planned by the likes of Al – Qaida, Hamas, JeM, Lashkar etc.

In the past decades and even until recently now, India has seen the worst of attacks, brutal killings and heart rendering scenes of obliteration. The reason – to a larger extent, ……………………………
230;……….we - don’t - care kind of an attitude by the key security agencies of the land. The lessons learnt by the governments and the people…………………………R
30;…. unfortunately NONE.

In the above context, I would like to relate one incident, which dates back to Feb 2004 when I went to a place called Obra in UP. This place is part of the hub for the electricity generated in the country’s northern belt both through hydro and thermal. As all the power stations there are state owned and have therefore been provided the central security through the Central Industrial Security Force [CISF]. Now as per the rule any person working or visiting these powerhouses need to have relevant permissions and gate – passes etc. These passes are only made after the concerned top officials either of the electricity boards or the security force itself make the sanctions in favour of the personnel intending to go.

It was a fine winter morning when I reached the place and in a true sarkari fashion, the pass section window opened at 1030 hrs IST. Through the official opening timing is 930 hrs IST. So the word IST is well taken by the people there as rest of their Indian brethren i.e. Indian Stretchable Time rather than Indian Standard Time. So fine by the national standards. I got into the queue waiting for my turn when a black Scorpio stopped at the gate and a well to do bhaisaab got down of it and started marching towards the window of the pass section counter. The in-charge security officer (name withheld) who was enjoying his morning cup of tea had a look on this new entrant. The person who was by now enquiring about the procedure of getting the gate – pass issued came up to the security officer and asked the same. How the day had started for the officer concerned, hard to say, as he was not in a good mood to talk. Reasons can be many, like fight with his wife, some rebuking from the head bosses or even just like that. After all its India elite security agency. Tahzeeb se baat kyon keren??? The gentleman seemed to be a seasoned visitor for such places and knew quite well how to get the job done in such adverse situations. He very politely approached the junior cadre officer who was perhaps the second in command. This officer was also very busy in his way of working, as the year had just started so the visitors were expected to carry some souvenirs with them as a New Year gift for the CISF. Jitna attractive gift, utni speed se pass banega. Irrespective of the fact that whose recommendation letter you were carrying. Now the gentleman came to this chota saab for his pass but the letter carried by him had no sanctity and hence not valid. So in no time he popped up a small gift, a packet of Benson & Hedges cigarettes. And call it a coincidence that minutes before the junior officer had started telling to his fellow colleagues that subah se yaar cigarette nahin pi. The trick worked for him and he was in the power station much before I got the relevant permission ticket even though the signing authority for me for the Chief Engineer of the project.

This incident was a big eye – opener for me as to the reality of the security situations, our preparedness to handle any eventuality, attitude of the forces and what the good for nothing politicians have to say. Be it the acting PM of this mahaan desh or the CM of the state UP [read Ulta – Pradesh]. It’s shocking that in India practically nothing is impossible. Dum ho to aap kuch bhi karwa sakte hain. Security or no – security, any person can get anywhere with a friendly, innocent face and then one day we find a suicide attack [Fidayeen] executed with precision, perfection and care taken of the minutest possible details. These factors are enough to shake ones confidence in the so-called security network of the country.

So MS people, if tomorrow any Gentleman called Osama, a Dawood or a Shahabuddin from Siwan or any of like them enters the heart of Indian bases and causes a collateral damage of colossal magnitude, don’t be surprised coz “ONE CIGARETTE CAN GET YOU THERE”.

PS: please rate this review as Not Useful. Security is not a subject to be written about and above all Indians care the least about such minor issues. It’s a country having above 1 billion people and so it will certainly seek ways to trim its flab down.