Karnataka now in for more embarrassment

Karnataka, as also Tamil Nadu where the abduction took place, will have the tough task of explaining why security was not provided to Rajkumar when they had been clearly warned of the threat of the film star8217;s abduction.

The report besides warning of Veerappan8217;s planned strikes including the one against Rajkumar exposes some glaring shortcomings in the functioning of the STF including intelligence failure and the lack of the right kind of weaponry.

Instead of taking the warning seriously and tightening the security cordon around the film star, the Karnataka police top brass made a concerted effort to trash Arkesh8217;s report.

Told about the report8217;s contents by the advocate for Abdul Karim, father of a police officer slain by Veerappan, judge S P Bharucha remarked during the hearing on Wednesday quot;this is shocking and absolutely unbelievable.quot;

Some of the observations made in the Arkesh report go like this:

The knowledge of guerrilla tactics is excellent in his case where as the knowledge of counter guerrilla warfare is very poor in case of police.

It is highly possible that Veerappan can penetrate the lower staff of STF and cause major dangers.

Intelligence is a major setback for the STF since four years.

About weaponry, it notes that the STF had missed many an opportunity to maim or kill the outlaw because of the lack of the right kind of weaponry. quot;Considering the terrain and modus operandi of the gang, it is found that flat trajectory weapons like rifles are not of much consequence, as the gang would disappear swiftly by taking cover of bushes, rocks and streams. Aimed firing is thus generally not possible. Only directional firing is possible but not effective,quot; it says.

Arkesh is also critical of the violations in the STF8217;s communication security. quot;It is observed that the instructions on communication security are being violated, giving scope for easy monitoring, besides causing bottlenecks at crucial junctures for operational communications,quot; he says.

Some of the lacunae he points out are:

Use of wireless for unwanted personal discussions.

Disclosure of names and designations of officers without using codes.

Disclosure of movement of groups and senior officers.

Use of VHF, which can be very easily monitored by any FM transistor set.

Arkesh was sought out by the Karnataka police, who were looking for someone who was familiar with commando operations and knew Kannada. He had the expertise having worked in insurgency-prone Nagaland where he was involved in operations to rescue hostages abducted by the NSCN. But two years with the STF, the same police found him uncomfortable and packed him off unceremoniously to his parent force.