Ticking danger

Singh,35,is a head constable with the Delhi Polices Bomb Disposal Squad. He has spent four years with the unit and knows only too well that there is never a predictable day at work. Fortunately for me,I have not found a live bomb so far. But every call that talks of a bag or a suitcase or loose wires sticking out from a radio is unnerving, says Singh,standing tall at 6 2.

His team mateshis inspector,a sub-inspector,two constables,a driver,a dog and its handlerand he pile into a mini bus. The bus finally stops at an intersection in Daryaganj,about 20 meters away from the cinema.

Its a laptop bag,tucked away in a corner. The drill is the same. The sniffer dog is sent in first, he says,petting Tina,a black Cocker Spaniel. Tina sniffs,shows no signs of anything unusual and returns. The next thing we do is check with metal detectors and if there are still no signs of a bomb,one of us becomes the guinea pig, says Singh,a father of two. The guinea pig will have to wear the 60-kg bomb suit and make his way to the explosive.

As one of them puts on the bomb suit,the other settles himself in front of the digital X-ray scanner,scanning the contents of the bag. The scan shows several pieces of cloth inside the bag. Clear, says the officer scanning the bag.

Its a constant battle of nerves and technology between the bomb maker and the one who defuses it. The enemy,unknown and unseen,is constantly improvising.

The bomb can go off with anythinga light sensor,a sound sensor,a switch,anything. No matter how well we are trained,being in real situations is nerve-wracking, says Singh,a science graduate from Meerut University who joined the force in 1995.

He blames his choice of bomb squad on movies that fired his curiosity. Have you seen Oscar-nominated The Hurt Locker? I would love to experience something like that, he says.

It takes 10 minutes to make a bomb and a second to explode it. Ten kilogrammes of RDX in a plastic container,a detonator,a source for electrical charge and a switch. And boom! Youre done. Even the pen cap youre holding can be used as a detonator, says the Bulandshahr native,holding a pen up to the light. Fascinating, he says.

Every day is a close call,but the closest,he says,was in 2009 when a bag containing a timer,a watch and some loose wires was found outside Jama Masjid. This time,I had to wear the bomb suit. Though the metal detector and the other instruments confirmed it wasnt a bomb,my team wasnt sure. Every minute was emotionally draining. I thought of my daughter,wife. I placed a bomb ring and a bomb blanket on top of the packet. As I bent down to touch it,I thought my heart had stopped. I was sweating buckets. I told myself,this is it,and turned the instruments inside around. It was a dud.

I reached home and told my wife and daughter. But my wife understands, he says. Singhs wife Kavita is a Delhi Police clerk at the Karkardooma courts. She knows its a tough job,but she also knows Im good at it.

As we head out,he calls out,gives back the plastic pen cap and says,You forgot your detonator.