Hyderabad, December 05: Perhaps for the first time, the Hyderabad City Police is going all out to ensure that almost all the personnel right from constable and above either have a bullet-prooof jacket, if not, at least be armed during the bandobust arrangements for December 6.
This in view of the two shootouts in the City one around this time last year in IS Sadan wherein a head constable was injured after a terror suspect Viqar Ahmed opened fire and the other in Falaknuma wherein two motorcycleborne assailants opened fire at a Home Guard leading to his death.
Top police sources disclosed to Express that Hyderabad Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao is particular that all his men on bandobust duties either have a BP jacket or be armed.
“This time, we do not want to be caught off-guard like it happened in earlier two cases wherein our men became sitting ducks because they were unarmed and not wearing BP jackets. But this time, we are ensuring that most of them have BP jackets and those who do not will carry arms,’’ a senior police official said.
Most of the IPS officers have started keeping BP jackets in their vehicles post 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.
While several platoons of AP Special Police have been drafted for the bandobust arrangements, will arrive with their own weapons which includes Insas rifles and Self-loading rifles, same is the case with the platoons of the Rapid Action Force (RAF).
Sources said that the Hyderabad City Police do not have more than 50 BP jackets only indicating that post 26/11, the security scenario has not changed much.
However, City Armed Reserce DCP E Damodar claimed that the city police has “adequate number’’ of BP jackets.
“Besides APSP and RAF, we will have 400-odd civil force. We are trying to borrow a few BP jackets from other police units for that day. Even if some are left out, they will surely be armed,’’ sources said.
The force will be deployed from tomorrow and they will be stationed at their respective places till December 7 morning.
In the afternoon of December 3 last year, terror suspect and alleged member of proscribed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) Viqar Ahmed and his associates opened fire on the Counter- Intelligence personnel at IS Sadan in which a head constable suffered a bullet wound. Neither was he armed nor was he wearing a bullet proof jacket. Similar was the case in the shootout at Falaknuma on May 18 this year, the second anniversary of Mecca Masjid bomb blasts.
-Agencies