Farooq 'Most Protected Man' In The Country

State Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah could well be called the most protected politician in the country today and that is how the Special Protection Group (SPG) would like him to be described. With the induction of Vijay Raman, IGP security, into the state, the security set-up here appears to be fast going hi-tech.

The introduction of a special Jammer worth Rs 75 lakh, besides a special vehicle of equal cost to ferry the equipment, is becoming a subject of curiosity for the locals. The jammer, an important constituent of the CM's cavalcade, has the capacity to jam all electronic equipment including remote control devices, wireless equipment, cellular phones, pagers, cordless equipment etc within a radius of five hundred metres. The jammer is likely to render useless all improved explosive devices (IEDs) which are operated with remote control devices, that might be placed in the VVIP route.

 

The special jamming equipment has been introduced in J&K for the first time. Orders have also been placed for purchase of special machine pistols from Israel to give a face-lift to VVIP security. An additional jammer worth Rs 1.5 crore is also being purchased by the state. This would be kept as a standby for the present equipment. In addition to all this, two special scanners, each worth Rs 1.35 crore, is being installed at two ends of the Jawahar Tunnel on Srinagar Jammu highway. The special scanner is likely to scan thousands of vehicles, in the process frisking each passenger and searching each vehicle that passes through the tunnel. The scanners are believed to have the capacity of detecting within seconds anything from a bullet to a landmine device.

Officials manning VVIP security in the state are confident that the security around the Chief Minister is so fool-proof and that nobody can get close to him. They are, however, worried because of the traveller's itch that sometimes gets the better of Abdullah and forces him to undertake unscheduled journeys. Still, the flamboyant Chief Minister has come a long way form the days he used to ignore all advice and set out on motorcycle joy rides with friends. Two battalions of state's armed police have also been placed at the disposal of the IG security so that the additional demands of providing security to mainstream politicians, besides these who are in the government, is met. Already two battalions of the armed police are manning such security duties across the state.