Journalism of Courage
Around three months after the German Bakery blast,the then additional commissioner of police Prabhat Kumar,as instructed by the then commissioner of police Satyapal Singh,had made a presentation on preparedness of the city in handling emergency situations. Following this,a standard operating procedure (SOP) was put in place based on the report and other observations. Though many steps have been taken,officers still feel that more work needs to be done on some of the aspects. Surprisingly,the fire brigade was not roped in to be part of the SOP plan.
Though Kumar was not available for comment,a senior police officer said on the condition of anonymity,The presentation had observations about how the city and overall police mechanism responded to the blast on February 13,2010. Though the situation was under control after a couple of hours,it was observed that there was no co-ordination among the officials. Traffic jams hampered the overall rescue operations.
Astonishingly,the fire brigade was not included in the SOP nor it was communicated about it. Chief Fire Officer Prashant Ranpise said,We came to know about the SOP after the police started conducting mock drills. We were never communicated about it. Handling fires due to blasts or serial blasts is something new to us. We had even asked for a training session by the police in handling situations after blasts. We have never got a positive answer so far.
A police officer with the traffic control branch said,Traffic diversions in such cases are very crucial. The SOP had detailed measures to divert traffic from distant points so the site of emergency is not flooded with vehicles. But till date,no plans have been made as to how the traffic to crucial targets in Pune be diverted in cases of emergencies.
Baig has typhoid,may miss court tomorrow,says defence lawyer
German Bakery blast accused Mirza Himayat Inayat Baig is said to be suffering from typhoid for the past one week. If Baig continues to be unwell,he might not be able to attend the court hearing on Saturday, said defence counsel A Rehman. Additional Sessions Judge N P Dhote is expected to frame charges against Baig on Saturday.
The defence lawyer came to know about Baigs illness when his junior lawyers Kaynath Ali Shaikh and Mohammad Ali Bashir Sayyedhad visited Baig on Monday. They had gone to the jail to comply with the courts order to provide toileteries and other items like a lungi,sweater with cap,slippers,a cloth bag to keep his clothes,a blanket and two plastic bags. They were categorically told by the jail authorities that Baig was suffering from typhoid and that his treatment was on, Rehman told Pune Newsline.
Yerawada Jail Superintendent S V Khatavkar said he had met Baig on Tuesday and that he appeared to be fine. We have four doctors to treat jail inmates and Baig will be given an appropriate treatment, he said. Aaditi Jathar Lakade
