MUMBAI: Wednesday's blasts yet again raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the intelligence apparatus and the level of coordination between the central and state agencies.
The Centre did alert the state government about a possible terror attack if a senior central official is to be believed. But an IPS officer said, “The Centre has been issuing alerts to the state home department, but most of them are general in nature. Of course, inputs from the Centre are taken seriously and stringent measures adopted accordingly.''
The central official said a general alert was issued to most “sensitive” states after some Indian Mujahideen (IM) members were questioned a few months ago, but it appears that corrective measures were not taken. But the IPS officer claimed that the state home department did take necessary precaut
ions in view of the threat of terror attacks.
The IPS officer admitted that security should have been further stepped up across the city in view of the fifth anniversary of the 11/7 serial blasts. “A special drive should have been launched across Mumbai to track suspicious activities,” he said, adding that the nature of Wednesday's explosions suggested that the attacks were carried out by home-grown terrorists with help from the IM.
The IPS officer said every terror strike was followed by a blame game between the state and central intelligence agencies. “After terrorists attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, the state witnessed a similar blame game. Reports from the central intelligence agencies are not specific, they are general. But the state agencies do their bit by focusing on the inputs and taking corrective measures,” he added.