Ministers criticise home dept, police

In the urgent meeting held on Thursday morning in the wake of the serial blasts, the city police and RR Patil-led home department received flak from the state cabinet for its failure in preventing the attacks.

In the urgent meeting held on Thursday morning in the wake of the serial blasts, the city police and RR Patil-led home department received flak from the state cabinet for its failure in preventing the attacks.

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A section of the Congress ministers took on the security apparatus stating that despite the 26/11 attacks of 2008, the police were again found clueless about the terror strike. They also expressed concern about the anger amongst the people over the repeated failure of the police department.

“It is difficult for us to face people in such situations. The police was again found napping over what’s happening in its backyard,” said a cabinet minister on condition of anonymity.

The Congress is especially worried about the impact the blasts could have on the civic polls.

Without criticising the home department, an NCP minister said that there were lacunae in the existing policing systems.

Bailing out home minister RR Patil, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan intervened in the discussion over the shortcomings of the state police machinery stating that the meeting was only for condemning the attack and expressing sympathy with the victims. Consequently, it was decided that a special meeting with the cabinet on the security of the city would be held on Tuesday.