CWG Security: Precautions Against Motor-bike Terrorists

Photo: The aerostat is seen lit up with designs as dancers perform below at the start of the XIX Commonwealth Games opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on October 3, 2010. India's day of destiny finally arrived with the Commonwealth Games due to begin in a fortress-like New Delhi after a shambolic run-up that threatened to derail the event. Britain's Prince Charles was due to get the troubled showpiece underway at 1330 GMT during a Bollywood-inspired opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as the last-minute scramble to get set went to the wire.

by B.Raman

(October 04, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Reference is invited to my article of September 22,2010, titled "Use of Motor-Bikes for Terrorism".

It is learnt that on the night of October 3,2010, eight unidentified persons riding four motor-cycles reached an open space adjacent to the Grand Trunk Road in Islamabad and the persons sitting on the pillion seats threw some inflammable liquid at the vehicles in a convoy hired by the NATO for carrying fuel to the NATO troops in Afghanistan and fired at the vehicles from firearms held by them. Twenty-eight vehicles were burnt to ashes and six persons were killed. The terrorists escaped on their motor-bikes. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is suspected. The convoy had halted in the open space for rest when it was attacked.

It may be recalled that on September 19 two persons riding a motor-bike opened fire and injured two Taiwanese tourists near the Jumma Masjid in Delhi. In a message subsequently received by some media offices, a claim of responsibility for the attack had been made on behalf of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) and a threat held out for a terrorist attack during the currently on-going Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. There has been no further claim or threat by the IM. Despite this, the need for further strengthening precautions against motor-cycle riding terrorists needs to be emphasised.

( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )