Sleeper cells: former police chief bats for task force

Singh said that in many informal conversations with the Pune police,he had suggested such a task force. With Pune already on the terrorist radar,intelligence officials are linking the sleeper cell operated by David Coleman Headley who had come to the city twice. The e-mails shared between him and LeT operative clearly hint at a “city northwards” or other city.

“The police are now swooping down on such sleeper cells but they should have done it long time ago. Even earlier,when Kondhwa had featured prominently as a haven for sleeper berths of SIMI and IM,there should have been a continous effort.”

“Even as the city was on terror radar from October,why did the police take it so easy?”

He said trained individuals should be deployed for these operations . “A Force One or an NSG during the time of combat is not the answer. It should be prevention and the intelligence network should be on duty for this.”

Singh said the 26/11 Mumbai attack probe was not yet complete. The Ram Pradhan Committee,which probed the police response to the 26/11 Mumbai attack,should have looked into not only the lapses on the part of the city police but also of other security agencies. “It should have looked into the entire security set-up,including the Intelligence,Navy,Coast Guard and politicians.”

Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe said he would look at the proposal positively. “We should have such a task force in the wake of such a terror attack.”