Bomb hoax galore, but is disposal squad ready?

Sudhakar Rao / TNN / Mar 17, 2006, 21:22 IST

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The city's bomb squad has five men including a police sub inspector that also attends to calls made from Bharuch and Ankleshwar.

Bomb hoax galore, but is disposal squad ready?

VADODARA: When a crude bomb exploded at the Vishwamitri railway station in the year 2000, it had left a member of the bomb disposal squad badly injured as it exploded in his face.
If the official survived to tell the tale, it was because it was not a high temperature explosive. Not much has changed in the bomb disposal squad of the Vadodara police since that day.
The officials continue to answer calls (mostly hoax calls) without any protective gear.Besides, the squad has also been working with the existing equipment for over five years as there have been no new purchases.
Presently, the squad has a circuit detector (CD) which locates electronic explosives, a scan x-ray (SX) that pictures minute details of the bomb and an explosive detector (ED).

This apart, they also have a bomb suit that they are supposed to put on while disposing the explosive. The importance of bomb disposal squad may have increased in the last few months considering that the city has seen a rise in hoax calls.
Sources add that given the fact that they are pressed into service every month, it is important that the squad is provided with latest equipment. In the last six months, the squad has attended 15 hoax calls.
The city's bomb squad has five men including a police sub inspector that also attends to calls made from Bharuch and Ankleshwar.
According to the police, most of the times the squad members refrain from wearing the suit as was evident on Monday when they were searching the court premise after a bomb hoax created panic at Nyay Mandir. None of them had worn bomb suits.

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