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Secret operation proves any day can be 26/11; dummy terrorists sneak past 8 points

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Even six years after the 26/11 terrorist attack, in which 10 Pakistani terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) killed 164 people and injured over 250, the city's coastline is still far from secure.

A few days ago, the Mumbai police carried out a security drill codenamed Operation Sagar Kavach. Its objective was to assess how equipped they were to handle a 26/11-type attempt.

The police formed two teams – the Red Force and the Blue Force. The Red Force were 'terrorists' and the Blue Force comprised men from the police and other security agencies.

The Blue Force was alerted that men from Red Force are likely to hijack boats and take it into their custody and make demands from the government, or will hijack a police boat and land at a safe seafront and plant explosives, or would hijack a VIP vehicle or mislead the police by posing as fishermen, coast guard officials, custom, fire brigade or port trust officials.

Seventy landing points across the city were covered by the Blue Force, which had 450 men. Then, the drill started.

In the 24 hours of the drill, men from the Red Force outwitted the Blue Force eight times and sneaked into various points in the city. In fact, they even reached the Gateway of India and Colaba, both targets of the November 2008 attack.

An officer who was part of the operations admitted: “Men from the Red Force managed to land in the city and plant dummy explosives near Pir Pav Jetty at RCF, two different locations at Gateway of India, New Sasoon Dock and Sasoon Dock in Colaba, Ferry Wharf, Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) Pillar No. 16 and Elephanta.”

“Out of the 30 attempts by the Red Force, the Blue Force could foil only 22. The Red Force broke the Kavach in eight places,” confirmed additional commissioner of police, South region, Krishna Prakash.

Though the operation helped the police in understanding the chinks in their armour in eight locations and their strengths in 22, not many officers are happy.

“It is difficult to boast about the success of such operations as the police are already aware that a drill is taking place. In reality, terrorists strike when we least anticipate it. We would have to be vigilant round-the-clock in order to secure our coastline,” said an officer.

Former Union home secretary G K Pillai put it in perspective. He says training is the most crucial thing. But in India, training schools are considered punishment posting. “The fact is that India is incapable of preventing another 26/11,” he concedes. The main factors for that are poorly trained men and thus a weak policing system.

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