The Prime Minister hosted a dinner for 28 DGs and heads of various central police agencies who were in the Capital to discuss the country’s law and order situation. Home Minister Shivraj Patil inaugurated the three-day conference. For some reason President Pratibha Patil broke with tradition and, unlike her predecessors, did not invite the delegates to a meal at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The president seems to have been poorly advised by her staff since this is an important occasion for the Head of State to interact with the top policemen in the country.

Lacking intelligence

The Mumbai terror attacks shows the lacuna in our intelligence gathering networks. One reason for this is the way key appointments in intelligence are made. After the Gujarat and Delhi blasts, the government set up a special task force on intelligence. The man selected to head the new outfit, R.D. Pradhan, an academician, has no operational experience. He was originally recruited by RAW on the basis of his media analysis. His latest job seems a sine cure since his term as chairperson of JIC ended in February this year.

Fringe group

The confessions of the arrested men in the Malegoan bombs blasts are turning increasingly bizarre. Apart from a Bangladeshi connection it seems there was also a link with Nepal. Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit had met several senior army officers in Nepal, which he could not have done without the clearance of the Indian Army. It is highly unusual for high-ranking officers in the Nepal Army to be interacting with a Lt Colonel. The fate of the world’s last Hindu king, King Gyanendra, seems to have been the subject of discussions. It is not clear to what extent Purohit’s involvement was at his own initiative and how much at the behest of military intelligence.

... contd.