Daylong nightmare eases at dusk

Tension gripped the entire Mangaluru International Airport throughout the day on Monday.

Normalcy was restored only by evening as everybody heaved a sigh of relief after the bomb was neutralised at Kenjaru ground. Around 5.37 pm, the bag containing the bomb was exploded ending the daylong tension.

Situation turned tense soon after the bag with explosives was traced around 9 am. Within no time, police cordoned off the entire locality opposite the airport.

Cops carefully shifted the bag to threat containment (reinforced) vehicle.

Tension only escalated as men in khaki could not decide the location to neutralise the bomb. Kenjaur ground and Panambur beach were considered, while preparations began.

Heart beats and anxiety attacks increased among the police as the timer had been fixed to the bomb. They weren’t in a position to take risk and needed to seal the fate of the live bomb at the earliest.

The policemen handling the situation drove home the point before the City Police Commissioner Dr P S Harsha that it was indeed dangerous to transport the bag for more distance.

They also clarified that the situation would boomerang if normal mode was followed to neutralise the bomb.

Harsha did consider the advise and finalised the Kenjaru ground for the operation.

All eyes were on the tractor, carrying the threat containment vehicle, when it began to move on the slope to reach the destination identified.

It took over half an hour to reach Shree Devi Institute Of Technology. The driver could not land the tractor on 100 feet deep slope from the main road which only increased the heart beats.

As the effort failed, the threat containment was deboarded from the tractor. A crane was used to hold and control the vehicle. An automatic machine was used to pull the vehicle and land it on the location.

The panic only increased as a wire kept ready for the operation failed to work minutes before the process began by 3.30 pm. A new wire was quickly brought and fixed.

Sand bags were kept around the location as bomb detection and disposal squad began operation.