J&K police to procure TCV to counter bombs, IEDs

The Jammu and Kashmir Police has decided to procure Total Containment Vessel (TCV), also known as 'truck bomb', to diffuse bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which have claimed the lives of dozens of security personnel in recent years.

The TCV is used in the United States and other developed countries by the police force to ensure timely detection and diffusing of bombs.

“Yes, we are procuring TCV soon. It will be of big help when it comes to hauling away explosive devices, including IEDs and other bombs,” a police officer privy to the development told DH.

It will be for the first time that J&K police will procure such a high-tech vehicle which costs millions of rupees depending upon the model, size and the company.

"TCV helps in diffusing the explosives without hurting anyone. A TCV is a chamber that fully contains the pressures and fragments released by an explosive. Once an explosive is loaded into a TCV, a bomb from point A to point B can be safely removed without having to shut down or evacuate streets en-route,” he said.

“There are many ways of diffusing bombs. Solutions which include various means are being provided by the company where from the procurement is made,” the officer added.

In this regard, the police have already floated tenders which reads: “Tenders are invited from the authorized manufacturers for the supply of TCV.”

Sources said J&K police is procuring many hi-tech gadgets that include remote operating vehicles (RoVs), a helicopter, a bomb inhibitor and TCV. “This all is to give a major boost to technical capabilities of the police to face challenges on militancy front effectively,” they said.

Earlier, the police had floated tenders to procure high-tech Weapon Safety and Tracking Systems (WSTS) that will not only prevent weapon snatching by militants but also track the snatched ones online.

The decision was taken after spurt in weapon snatching incidents and some policemen deserting the force to join militant ranks along with weapons.

The police has also floated tenders to procure Liquid Explosive Detectors (LED). This will be the first of its kind of procurement which is aimed to thwart the continuous attempts by militant outfits to target civilians and security forces in the region.

It was done after five Jaish-e-Mohammed militants were arrested from Srinagar. They were involved in two grenade attacks in the Hazratbal area of Srinagar last month and had managed 100 to 200 sticks of gelatin with the aim of making IEDs to target security forces.