Maharashtra, Monday 21 December 2009: Maharashtra Government on Monday tabled in the State assembly the Ram Pradhan committee report on 26/11 Mumbai attacks which cited instances of non-adherence to the Standard Operating Practice (SOP) during the terror siege.

Home Minister R.R. Patil tabled a Marathi translation of the report in the Assembly six months after the committee submitted its findings to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

He informed the House that a 16-member panel, comprising the chief minister and himself, will study all aspects of the report including its “leakage” in media.

Patil said the Pradhan panel report given to the State government and the one “leaked” in media were similar.

The report went into the response by the police to the 26/11 attacks and pointed out “total confusion” in processing of Intelligence alerts at the level of the state government and “inadequacies” in the existing mechanism for analysing alerts about possible strikes.
The panel report cited instances of non-adherence to the Standard Operating Practice (SOP) during the terror siege.

“It was specifically mentioned (in the Intelligence reports) that attacks (were) to take place on three dates that is on August 20, 2006 (alert dated 07-08-2006), May 24, 2008 (alert dated 19-05-2008) and August 11, 2008 (alert dated 09-08-2008) against certain targets including Taj and Oberoi hotels, which did not happen,” the report said.

The report tabled in the Legislature on Monday is a Marathi translation of the report submitted by Pradhan to Chief Minister six months ago.
In an indication that the Quick Response Teams (QRTs) of Mumbai police were ill-equipped to take on the terrorists during the 26/11 attacks, the report found that the personnel lacked firing practice since 2007 due to ammunition shortage.

The panel said the QRTs had also not received actual simulated training in combating terrorists. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Eknath Khadse demanded a CBI inquiry into “leakage” of the report while expressing displeasure over the government’s “inaction” on the matter.

“The government fears that the four persons — chief minister, home minister, chief secretary and additional chief secretary (home) — who were privy to the report, may be held accountable for the leakage,” Mr. Khadse said, after Opposition members staged a walkout in the Assembly.

(PTI)