Despite an audacious attack by lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) on the Indian Parliament nearly 14 years ago, the security of the country’s most important complex is still not up to scratch.
An Ad-hoc Committee on Security in Parliament House Complex (PHC) and a group of security experts have found several lacunas and loopholes that need immediate correction to thwart any repeat of an December 2001-like attack.
From obsolete machines to faulty CCTVs, lack of modern equipment and weapons, to absence of a highly-trained force other than the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a nearly collapsing Integrated Security System (ISS), there is a long list of problems that these two groups have flagged besides underlining the missing links in Parliament’s security.
Parliament’s security is handled by CRPF, Delhi Police and the Parliamentary Security Service (PSS). About 800 MPs, including the Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Ministers are in Parliament apart from top cops and bureaucrats during sessions.
The Ad-hoc Committee on Security in PHC headed by former Home Secretary RK Singh and with former Rajasthan DGP Harish Chandra Meena, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh as its members, in a report to lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan last month, suggested a major overhaul of the security system of the PHC keeping in mind the high-profile targets and new emerging terror threats. Mahajan has forwarded the report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and action is awaited.
“The report is being examined by the Ministry. Security of PHC is always a high priority for the Government,” a senior official of the MHA told The Pioneer. He added that modernisation was an important part of the PHC’s security.
In fact, the committee, in its interim report submitted prior to the final report had raised several security issues. For instance, 100 CCTVs out of the 450 installed in the PHC are not functioning and there are no reserves for their replacement either.
There is also deterioration in the Parliament’s Integrated Security System (ISS) due to intense usage. Built to last ten years, the ISS has been in use for over 12 years now, and the technology for several of its software and machines too has become obsolete. In fact, a single-point failure of critical equipment can lead to total breakdown in the ISS, resulting in a serious crisis, the members said in the report.
The committee also pointed out that the number of personnel providing security to Parliament is not insufficient, nor are they equipped with enough modern gadgets to thwart new terror threats. Several do not have basic bullet proof helmets and patkas.
Besides, there is a lack of modern gadgets with face detection technology, intrusion tracking and other video analytics, which are must for modern-day counter-terrorism combat.
Also, several of the 12 iron gates of the PHC are not manned. The committee has recommended increasing the number of Parliament Duty Group (PDG) personnel, besides having a strong reserve within the vicinity of the iron gates, who can provide immediate cover in the event of an attack.
The PDG is a special paramilitary unit comprising of commandos and security personnel drawn from the CRPF that is deployed at the outer entry gates of Parliament. Similarly, more camouflaged Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) need to be positioned outside the iron gates to engage and block terrorists outside the gates.
While pointing out the vulnerability of the air flow system and ventilation to Chemical, Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) threats, the committee also suggested a data bank of suspects and likely saboteurs within the security system of the PHC, with face recognition software, and linking this to Delhi Police and CBRN sensors.
Besides, Standard Operating Procedures for all duty points, a regular briefing of security personnel on prevailing threat perceptions by Intelligence agencies, training of PHC staff are some of the other concerns.
During another review of the PHC by a group of security experts aerial surveillance through mini drones was proposed along with air defense unit of Indian Air Force, long range radars, bunkers and special chambers for protection of VIPs in case of a CBRN or terror strike. The group even recommended positioning of the National Security Guard (NSG) and Army commandos as additional layer for protection, besides training the PSS, known as Watch-and-Ward, for unarmed combat.
In fact, the committee even expressed “dissatisfaction” with the existing set-up in Parliament security, comprising of two separate units - PSS lok Sabha and PSS Rajya Sabha - and “strongly recommended” a Unified Parliament Security Service.