Mumbai:
A report that examines the role of the police in defending Mumbai during the city's 26/11 attacks last year has finally been tabled by the Maharashtra government.
The Ram Pradhan Committee Report was officially presented in the Maharashtra Assembly in Nagpur on Monday. The government received the report six months ago from the Pradhan Committee and was attacked by the Opposition for not sharing it. The government claimed this was necessary because the report contained sensitive information.
Most of that information was made available through a "leak". Today, the state's Home Minister, R R Patil, confirmed that the leaked report is almost identical to the original.
The report says there was a lack of leadership among senior police officers. It attacks Hasan Gafoor who was the Commissioner of Mumbai during 26/11. "We have found series lapses on part of the Commissioner of Mumbai in the handling of the multi-pronged attack. There was an absence of overt leadership on part of the CP Hasan Gafoor and lack of visible command and control at the CP's office."
Instead of taking charge of the Control Room, Gafoor stationed himself outside the Trident Hotel and coordinated the police's response to the terror strikes from there. The report says Gafoor went against the standard operating procedure laid down to deal with terror attacks.
Gafoor was transferred a week after the report was submitted to the government.
The Pradhan Committee Report also says the government under-performed during 26/11. "We found several lacunae in workings both within Mantralaya and within the Police establishment. We'll set out procedures for handling intelligence... crisis management was overlooked.." It is also critical of the two hotels attacked during 26/11, the Trident and the Taj, for not following security advice issued to them.
The Pradhan Committee report is not all anti-police. It praises Director General of Police A N Roy and Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria who was in charge of the control room. The report has also raised critical questions on Mumbai Police's lack of equipment and arms, saying that the state police had not received any ammunition since 2006. It has also pointed out that the Mumbai Police last received AK 47 bullets in 2005 and that the Quick Response Team has had no practice since 2007.
The report was leaked before the first anniversary of 26/11 as divisions within the Mumbai Police peaked. Speaking to NDTV's Barkha Dutt on the eve of the 26/11 anniversary, Home Minister P Chidambaram had said: "It's time the Mumbai Police talked less and did more and stopped wasting time in running to the media."
A new committee, with 16 members from different parties, will now decide what happens next.