Share bomb-making information with public to curb blasts, suggests top intelligence expert

NEW DELHI: Former RAW chief and NTRO chairman-designate Alok Joshi on Wednesday pushed for sharing of more detailed information on bomb-making and explosives with the general public. This could lead to greater vigilance and even deter such material falling into the wrong hands. He also goaded intelligence agencies to focus on bomb-makers of terror organizations and neutralize them as that would peg the group back by several years.

Joshi was speaking at the 15th NSG International Seminar on Counter-IED Strategy. He said, "It is important to make the public aware that what constitutes an IED rather than just focus on receptacles. This should include use of home-made explosives. How fertilizer can be used to rig a bomb. Unless you have information on the presence of such material in an affected area, it is very difficult to interject an IED."

Joshi, who was until two months ago heading RAW, urged intelligence agencies to focus on nabbing bomb-makers more than other operatives of a outfit. "You neutralize a bomb-maker and you peg the outfit back by at least two years. It takes a lot of effort and time to train a bomb-maker who then goes on to train others. That is why ( LeT operative) Abdul Karim Tunda (an expert bomb-maker) was an important catch," Joshi said.

He added that even though bomb-making techniques are available on the internet, rarely does any terrorist venture out to assemble a bomb through a manual.

Joshi also asked NSG to discuss if provider and carrier of explosives should be treated on par with the bomb planter under law.

Joshi flagged the lack of IED training at police station as a big handicap in the battle against bomb blasts. Recounting his own experience in J&K in the 80s when he stored IEDs seized from a terrorist in an almirah oblivious of the danger of blowing up his place, he said, "Police is the first responder. It needs to be well-trained. But that hasn't happened. Burdwan blast is a prime example of this as the first reaction of the local police there left much to be desired."

NSG chief J N Choudhary added to Joshi's concern by saying that the agency was training 1,000 state police officers every year in counter-IED strategy but was handicapped as many states did not even have basic equipment for such training to be meaningful.