NEW DELHI: A red alert was sounded in the Parliament House Security network March 15 after the discovery of the theft of the official car of a Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau. The car has a parliament parking label on it.
Official sources told UNI that the blue Ambassador car of 1B Joint Director AP. Bhatnagar, was reported to be stolen Sunday, and militant involvement could not be ruled out
The sources said nothing could be left to chance in the wake of the car bomb blast in Bombay on March 12.
For this reason all cars and vehicles entering the Parliament House were being thoroughly checked and then only allowed to enter the premises.
The IB official discovered the loss of his vehicle Sunday afternoon and immediately lodged a report with the police,
The car has not yet been traced through all the police check posts have been given the number and description of the missing car.
The Parliament House has been the target of militant threats several times. But after the chain of blasts in Bombay, security agencies are not taking any chances.
The Bombay blasts marked a turning point in the history of terrorism in India as car bombs were used for the first time. Car bombs have been used with deadly effects and clockwork precession by West Asia and Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorists for years.
Bhatnagar was till recently IB Joint Director in Charge of VIP security. He was transferred to Srinagar earlier this month,
An officer of the Inspector General rank of the Punjab police cadre, Bhatnagar has already assured charge in Srinagar and had come here on an official visit
More than 1000 security men and women guard the Parliament house round the clock.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 19, 1993
