Could the timely installation of closed-circuit television cameras near the Delhi high court reception gate averted Wednesday morning’s blast? Security
officials said the high court blast was just waiting to happen: several measures had been suggested following the earlier May 25 attack, but clearly some of these were not put in place in time.
No CCTVs were installed in the vicinity of the blast site even after the previous blast near the court premises on May 25. The May 25 attack — in which, thankfully, no one was killed or even injured — is now suspected to have been a “dry run” for this Wednesday’s strike.
A number of security measures, including installation of CCTV cameras, was suggested by the Union home ministry and the security agencies, and while CCTVs are now being urgently installed, it is too late.
The lack of CCTV footage is being acutely felt by the security agencies, which could have obtained vital leads from them. The Centre has decided to ask the National Investigation Agency to thoroughly probe the May 25 blast as part of its investigation into Wednesday’s incident.
Following the home ministry’s suggestion to install security cameras around the court premises after the May 25 blast, the Delhi police had even conducted a “security audit”, and even zeroed in on specific spots where these devices should be placed. The task of installing them was given to the Delhi government’s public works department, and government sources pointed out that it was not done on time. “The PWD was supposed to put up CCTVs, but action on it could not be completed,” a senior government official said.
In an effort to play down the issue, an official noted that even if the cameras were installed, these would have covered only the area around the gate, and not the reception area which was targeted on Wednesday. The security agencies are now likely to redo their threat assessment scenarios, and suggest fresh measures to beef up security at the high court.