GUWAHATI: Earlier today, a major explosion at 11:59 am on Saturday, shook Panbazar and Fancy Bazar area. The exact location of the incident is opposite to the site for proposed automated multilevel car parking, behind MMC Hospital, MG Road.
However, while the blasts grabbed the headlines, the immediate response of the security and police officials was questionable. One of the most disturbing sights just after the explosion was police personnel poking the ground with a cane stick, reportedly searching for explosives.
When a reporter from G Plus enquired what he was doing, he said, "I am trying to find if there is any other questionable object here or anything else that may be dangerous."
This clearly shows the lack of training and awareness in handling such dangerous situations. The poking of ‘questionable’ objects with a stick would endanger not just his life, but also of the bystanders nearby.
The police failed to cordon off the area nearby and curious bystanders/ onlookers had blocked the area. Had there been another explosion that followed, who would have been held responsible?
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Preliminary reports suggested an IED explosion, and yet, apart from a bomb squad, every other organization reached the spot.
It was only after the arrival of senior IPS officers that people were requested to move away from the spot. Clearly, the first responders of the police have to be sensitized better to deal with such situations.