When terror struck, 600 Pune policemen were keeping goons off MNIK, others were policing cosy couples. Has the state got its priorities all wrong?
When terror struck, 600 Pune policemen were keeping goons off MNIK, others were policing cosy couples. Has the state got its priorities all wrong?
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What about us? Citizens hold banners questioning the police's lack of safety measures in the city. Pic/Nikhil Ghorpade |
When MiD DAY took a closer look at his statement, here's what we found: Around 600 cops from 22 police stations were deployed on bandobast duty in the 22-odd theatres screening the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer in Pune. Prior to Valentine's Day, the Pune police were also busy moral policing couples. Between February 3 and 15, Pune police had issued guidelines to couples against indulging inu00a0 public display of affection and gathering in groups.
| The Other Side |
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When questioned over disproportionate security cover to My Name Is Khan screening and importance to Valentine's Day bandobast, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram skirted the question, saying discussing MNIK would trivialise the attacks. |
Even the Shiv Sena, because of whom the police had to give security cover to theatres, didn't pull any punches. "It is sad that for this government, smooth screening of MNIK is more important than protecting lives of Puneites. The police also should have been more rational about the deployment. They couldn't differentiate between the two," said Chandrakant Mokate, senior Sena MLA from Pune.
Chabad House, which was on the list of specific targets for a terror attack, had merely four constables guarding it today. MiD DAY had earlier captured on camera the security arrangements at Lal Deval, a Jewish synagogue, which showed two-three cops posted in a bunker while a patrolling car stopped by once in while.
In October 2009, at the height of the Headley trail, when it was revealed that the Jewish places were probable targets, police had revealed that 60 cops were posted on bandobast in shifts.
| International press on Pune blast |
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Indian authorities try to determine whether the Pune blast was linked to any known terrorist groups and to a man charged in the deadly 2008 assault on Mumbai. Long-awaited peace talks between India and Pakistan hang in the balance after a terrorist bomb attack in Pune, Western India, killed nine One of India's leading security analysts, says the cafe could have been chosen because it was a "soft target". It's Saturday night horror for diners at Pune's German Bakery |
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