Pawar says intel failure, pulls up partyman Patil

Patil, a senior NCP leader and Home Minister in the Prithviraj Chavan government, was in Pune along with Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to take stock of the situation following Wednesday's low-intensity blasts on JM Road, which injured one person.

Addressing a function in Mumbai, Pawar said he had given "clear instructions to him that officers should be result oriented."

"If they are not, then you should take steps and the administration should respect it. If the officers err, they should be shown their place," Pawar said.

Pawar added that if a person who handles intelligence or law and order is assertive and effective, the message will percolate to the lower level and if they are lethargic even that message will be passed down. "They need to be effective," the NCP chief said.

He also asked the administration to take a strong stand in such instances and not shy away from taking decisions regarding action on officials. Pawar said the impact of the explosives in Wednesday's blasts could have been similar to German Bakery blast had not the explosive material been impacted by rain.

Noting that the same places have been targeted over the last five years, he said, "It shows the state administration in poor light. They need to take a strong stand. They should maintain their importance and authority," said Pawar.

He said that he knew quite a bit about the Maharashtra police, having handled this department for ten years earlier.

He added that while innocent people are targeted in blasts, a "community and class" gets the blame.

"Intelligence needs to be better. There is a need to focus on intelligence. This time it was not so extreme. It is worrisome that some communities get targeted. It does not augur well for social harmony," he said.

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