JOIN USEven five years after its inception, the Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF) is yet to evolve a security manual for the installations it guards.
The security manual ideally contains the dos and don’ts, the measures to be followed during crises, and the roles and responsibilities of its staff deployed at sensitive points at a particular installation.
The KSISF was commissioned in 2012 on the lines of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). As many as 1,731 constables were recruited for the force in 2013. The KSISF adopted the standard operating procedure followed by the CISF.
The KSISF guards many vital installations in Karnataka, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Vidhana Soudha, the Vikasa Soudha, the central prison in Belagavi, the state police headquarters and Metro stations in Bengaluru. The KSISF and the BMRCL entered into an agreement on the standard operating procedure.
“Two yeas ago, there was some discussion about evolving a security manual, but nothing moved forward,” said a senior police officer, who headed the KSISF previously.
Senior officials say the KSISF needs to come out with detailed terms and rules of engagement. These terms should be renewed from time to time based on fresh incidents and experiences.
“This is the first such experience for both the BMRCL and the KSISF. Therefore, there was a lot of confusion about how to handle the situation,” he said. According to another senior police officer, KSISF constables do not have executive powers. They should have alerted the local police and shouldn’t retaliate when violence erupts. “Take the example of the CISF which guards airports and other installations. The security manual for each installation will be different. Similarly, the KSISF also needs to create a security manual for each installation,” the officer said.
BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said: “KSISF personnel have been briefed and given a set of guidelines on how to do their duty.” He, however, refused to disclose the guidelines, saying those were confidential as they involved emergency and crisis operations.
DH News Service