Major security lapse in Naidu’s journey to AP
In a major security lapse, Telugu Desam supremo and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu travelled in a different vehicle from those in his convoy during his 300-km drive from Hyderabad to Vijayawada on Monday.
While his convoy consists of Tata Safari vehicles of silver grey colour, Mr Naidu was in a black Toyota Fortuner in the middle of the convoy. In security parlance, the target was exposed by not travelling in a car identical to that of his convoy.
Mr Naidu survived a landmine blast triggered by the erstwhile People's War Group on Alipiri Ghat road on his way to Tirumala in October 2003. He continues to be a primary target for the outlawed group which later converged as merged with the Maoists. He is given Z plus category irrespective of his position.
Sources close to Mr Naidu told Deccan Chronicle that the former Chief Minister wanted to travel in the Fortuner since it is a long journey and it was more comfortable than a Safari. The government provided the Safari convoy which he used as Chief Minister for five years.
Mr Naidu owns two bulletproof Fortuners, one of which is used by his son and former minister N Lokesh.
“Usually Mr Naidu, because of his height (6 ft 2 inches), prefers a Safari though his convoy consisted of Prados when he was Chief Minister,” said a senior police officer who handled security matters earlier. Another former cop who also handled Mr Naidu's security, says the security team should either be firm and not allow the VIP to travel in a different car, or it should make alternative arrangements for the convoy.
“If he (Mr Naidu) chose to travel in a Fortuner, the security team should have brought the remaining two
Fortuners also into the middle of the convoy and rotated instead of leaving the two black Fortuners, in one of which Mr Lokesh was travelling, at the tail end,” he said.
The security lapse of a VIP travelling in a different car had been prominently discussed after the killing of then Home Minister A Madhava Reddy by the PWG in March 2000. Amidst all the Ambassador cars, he travelled in a Toyota Qualis, which had just entered the Indian market at that time, and became an easily identifiable target. The committee that probed his killing highlighted this security lapse.
Incidentally, Mr Naidu had travelled in the same ill-fated
Qualis just two days before Madhava Reddy was killed but it went unnoticed. Though he felt comfortable travelling in it, security officials did not entertain his idea of introducing the Qualis in the convoy as they did not find it fit to carry a VIP in a secure manner.
When contacted, Officer on Special Duty, Intelligence Security Wing, T.V. Sashidhar Reddy, said he would have to check the facts with the Chief Security Officer of Mr Naidu. “He travelled in a bullet proof vehicle only,” he said and refused to comment on the VIP not travelling in a vehicle identical to his convoy.