04 July,2010 05:00 PM IST | | Kasmin Fernandes, J Dey and Anshuman G Datta
In the last six months, over 17 mock terror drills have been conducted in Mumbai alone. Most often, unsuspecting citizens believe they are bomb scares, fearing a sequel to 26/11. Police say they are only testing their command post. A dress rehearsal is hardly ever indicative of the final act, say critics. Sunday MiD Day investigates the why and how of the mock drill trend
Post 26/11, Mumbai police calls it 'battle inoculation' -- from target practice firing range to gunning a terrorist in a high rise, anything that can substitute the real experience. But for people in the city, mock drills are nothing short of panic bombs as rumours of terror attacks and bomb scares fly thick and wide as platoons of cops surround everything from malls to hotels and airports.
In Mumbai, nothing was spared the drill -- from High Street Phoenix and Palladium Mall at Lower Parel, InOrbit at Malad, Oberoi Mall at Goregaon, Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi, Ambernath's Ordinance Factory, Dadar railway station to World Trade Centre in Cuffe Parade and even the international airport at Sahar.
18 SEP 2009
Inorbit Mall, Malad: Cops try to overcome a dummy terror suspect at a
drill held at a suburban mall that was closed to the public for several hours
28 DECu00a02009
Oberoi Mall, Goregaon: An open show of weapons at a suburban mall.
PIC/Mahanand Gupta
07 JAN 2010
Mahim Durgah: The police conducted a drill after the city was on high alert
following the escape of three terrorists from Delhi police custody. Pic/ Deepak Salvi
Anti-climax for Mumbaikars
On March 26, thousands of residents at Ordinance Complex in Ambernath locked themselves up at the sound of hand grenades being hurled and guns being fired. The chaos stopped over two hours later at 1.30 pm, and the residents gingerly crept out only to realise that what they'd believed to be a terror strike was in fact a mock drill in progress at the Ordinance Factory in the vicinity.
For freelance writer Anjana Vaswani who was witness to a security drill at Trident hotel in Nariman Point, it was a replay of the horrific 26/11 attack that she just managed to escape back in 2008. "It was 11 am when I stepped out of the hotel. I didn't see my car, or any cars on the street. What should have been a chaotic road at that hour, was deserted with just a police van parked in the middle of the road. A plain clothes policeman shoved me towards NCPA, where hotel guests' cars were parked. When I asked a uniformed cop what the matter was, he pointed to the van. 'Gaadi mein kuch hai (There's something in the car),' he said."
Office goers in the business district were running amok when Vaswani got into her car. "It was only on the next day that the papers reported that a mock drill was in progress. Nobody knew," she says.
Gauri Kitchlu, spokesperson for the South Mumbai five-star that reopened just this April after months of renovation undertaken after the hotel was ravaged in the 26/11 terror strike, said, "Security drills are carried out regularly to ensure the preparedness of our staff." The hotel refused to provide any further details "as doing so may compromise our security measures".
21 JAN 2010
Machimar Nagar, Cuffe Parade: Operation Samudra saw Army and Navy
personnel throw a challenge before the cops as they tried to breach security
at the same spot where the 26/11 terrorists had landed in a dinghy. PIC/Bipin Kokate
02 FEB 2010
Indian Oil station, Sewri: A cyclist and his school-going co-rider look on
curiously while a mock drill is underway across the road. PIC/SATYAJIT DESAI
27 FEB 2010
Siddhivinayak, Prabhadevi: Pedestrians near Siddhivinayak Mandir being
shooed by cops. Pic/SANTOSH NAGWEKAR
They sensitise, say experts
Mock terror drills, 17 of which have been conducted in Mumbai alone in the last six months (approximate numbers) only sensitise people, not terrrorise them, feel security and intelligence experts and leading psychiatrists. The only exception to the rule, if there is one, are Maoists who have been harping on the 'violence' perpetrated by the state since time immemorial.
In fact, when Sunday MiD DAY took up the debate, it became clear where the battle lines are drawn. Experts argue that drills are part of school curriculum in Western countries, and are now being adopted by various agencies who have been identified as potential terror targets. Like primary schools in the US, which conduct mock fire drills at regular intervals, the Delhi Metro conducts mock terror and disaster drills to make people aware of the precautions they need to take in such situations.
Dr Samir Parikh, a psychiatrist who heads mental health and behavioural science at Max Healthcare, said, "We must not forget that we are living in a real world with some real threats. In the Western world, children studying in kindergarten are given lessons on fire drills, but that doesn't mean that those kids develop a fear of fire. In fact, terror drills have a therapeutic effect; they make people prepared for real life contingencies."
Do it, but do it right
In fact, Dr Parikh thinks drills should be conducted regularly to raise confidence among citizens. Former joint director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) DC Nath agrees: "A terror drill never leads to panic among people. But there is a way to do it right -- publicise it beforehand through newspapers and news channels. With terror attacks in cities becoming a reality, people want to know about anti-terror drills and participate in them to defeat terrorism jointly."
Nath feels the need for more awareness, though. "Government agencies conducting the drills must raise awareness about them, so that people are in the know."
06 APR 2010
Poddar Hospital, Worli: A motorist wonders what the tight security is in
lieu of. PIC/SANTOSH NAGWEKAR
06 APR 2010
Doordarshan, Worli: The newly instituted Force One Commando in action
during a mock drill. PIC/PRADEEP DHIVAR
26u00a0JUNE 2010
Siddhivinayak Mandir, Prabhadevi: Devotees had to wait for four hours
before they were given permission for darshan. Petrol pumps stayed shut
for over two hours. Pics/BIPINu00a0KOKATEu00a0AND SANTOSH NAGWEKAR
Naxal ideologue smells conspiracy
Naxal ideologue Vara Vara Rao believes the sole aim of such exercises is to instill fear of the state's brutal force in the hearts of innocent civilians. "It leads to a fear psychosis. In fact, the entire purpose is to terrorise people so that cops can claim a free hand in the name of an anti-terror drill," Rao says.
He questions the role of military and para-military forces in law enforcement. "In states like Chattisgarh, it's the para-military forces that are ruthlessly doing the job of the police. In the name of anti-terror drills, these agencies get a chance to show their brute force. In fact, in these states people are more afraid of the police than terrorists," he said.
Why conduct a drill?
In the melee of 26/11, hordes of outgunned cops took on a handful of well-trained suicide commandos of the Lashkar. Some fought and died, some simply fled. Most of the policemen had not fired their guns in years thanks to which they couldn't tell gunfire from firecrackers. A Standard Operations Procedure (SOP)u00a0 was put in place soon after the fidayeen attack. "We are checking our SOP," Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Dayal told Sunday MiD DAY.
A few months ago, the Mumbai police unveiled its new Force One commandos, armed with an array of black factory-fresh AK-47s and Colt assault rifles and MP-5 sub machine guns. The 'buddy pair' (each partner is responsible for the life of the other) recruited as policemen may have yet to learn how to handle their weapons.
But in most cases the policemen are trained for practically every situation imaginable. Sometimes, they may go through their entire service careers without seeing any action. This is one reason why Mumbai police is conducting regular mock exercise across the city. It is aimed to understand and follow the SOP.
It doesn't end here
"Like the NSG (National Security Guard) is posed to take every opportunity to exercise their skills, the Mumbai police is tested to see whether the teams can perform their specified roles in the stipulated time," said a senior police officer.
The mock drills are also planned to check whether all local police units, combat vehicles, marksman vehicles, bomb detection and disposal squad and superiors, work in tandem. "A drill emphasises co-ordination of all the various wings of the police," said a senior police officer. It checks whether the police can deal with multiple nakabandi situations across the city. The police are testing their "command post" and ensuring it is operational at the shortest possible notice.
Not for public awareness
The mock drills are not meant to create awareness among the public, say officials. It's to build awareness for the police force and debriefing of what went wrong during a particular mock drill. For the NSG, every live situation is a challenge.
Closer home, the navy has stationed its marine commandos in counter insurgency tasks in Jammu and Kashmir to inoculate them with terror situations. Mumbai finally has anti-terrorist units with Force One and other elite commando units. The mock drills could prevent the policemen from becoming lethargic again.
Opposites attract
Psychiatrist says
Dr Samir Parikh
In the Western world, children studying in kindergarten are given lessons on fire drills, but that doesn't mean that those kids develop a fear of fire. In fact, terror drills have a therapeutic effect; they make people prepared for real life contingencies.
Naxal ideologue says
Vara Vara Rao
In states like Chattisgarh, it is the para-military forces that are ruthlessly doing the job of the police. In the name of anti-terror drills, these agencies get a chance to show their brute force. In fact, in these states people are more afraid of the police than of terrorists.
THE OTHER SIDE
Display of violence spurs violence
In 2002, through his documentary Bowling for Columbine, activist-filmmaker Michael Moore "tried to connect the dots" between local violence and the global violence. "I think they're part and parcel of the same American way: Kill first, ask questions later. We create this climate of violence in what we do to each other, how we treat each other as a society. It's so strange, because we're actually good people. After 9/11, look at the outpouring, what people gave," he said in an interview after the release of the award-winning film.
"We are raised with the belief that we have the right to resolve our conflicts through violence, and that we will shoot first and inspect for weapons later. That's the way we're going to lead our lives. In fact, it will be our ruin if it's not addressed," he added.
Were mock drills a cover for 9/11 attacks?
At least five training drills were in operation in the days leading up to and on the morning of 9/11. This meant that NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) radar screens showed as many as 22 hijacked airliners at the same time. NORAD had been briefed that this was part of the exercise drill and therefore normal reactive procedure was forestalled and delayed.
The large numbers of 'blips' on NORAD screens that displayed both real and 'drill' hijacked planes explain why confused press reports emerged hours after the attack stating that up to eight planes had been hijacked. Alex Jones was one of the first to highlight the wargames in his documentary film Masters of Terror, which was released in August 2002.
