PUNE, February 25: It was an operation that lasted around 50 hours. One wrong step and the device could trigger off a charge estimated at around 80-90 kg of explosives and blow up all the buildings in the area.Given the nerve-wracking moments in the wake of the serial blasts that rocked Coimbatore on the eve of rally of BJP president L K Advani on February 14, the first instinct would perhaps be to blow off the seven bags of explosives (found in a car) in a secluded area and be done with the operations.But the Pune-based 203 Bomb Disposal Company which was specially requisitioned by the Tamil Nadu government through the Southern Command headquarters to deal with explosives found in an abandoned car at Lokmanya Street did not stop at this.Rather than merely defuse the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) team commanding officer Captain Sanjay Chawla along with his five team members decided to take off some time to study the boxes and attempt to understand the psyche of the militant who may have plantedthe IEDs. They took around 36 hours to study the material on hand in great detail and ensuring that no unnecessary risks were taken, the team managed to separate one of the wires to activating switch of the bomb using remotely operated wire cutter leading to a sigh of relief. Yet another mission had been accomplished.``It was a job of a professional who knew exactly what he was doing,'' team leader Sanjay Chawla commented, adding that although local material was used in the IEDs, it was obvious that the job revealed expert training in this field.In fact the forensic laboratory at Tamil Nadu has testified that the device was as powerful as service explosives, Major Shashi Thomas, commanding officer of the Bomb Disposal Company said. Significantly, it was only because of a rusty switch that the device had not been activated, he explained. Had the device exploded, the impact of the blast could have virtually blown off the buildings in the area which happens to be quite congested, Major Thomasrevealed.The team which has recorded its findings on the serial blasts in Coimbatore will be disseminating the information and the report will be sent to the other Commands. Interestingly, this is not the first time that the team has been requisitioned by the Tamil Nadu government.In yet another incident that occurred in November last year, some unexploded bombs were defused in Chennai thereby revealing the fluid security situation in the country. Keeping abreast of the technology, the unit established in 1965 which has played a major role in IED disposal and post-blast investigations and training of personnel of police, Army, Navy in bomb disposal duties in the last few years has acquired a number of devices to deal with such explosives.The Bomb suit, extensively used by the team member Sodhi Singh in defusing the IED at Coimbatore, has been exported from Canada costing Rs 6 lakh approximately.Each suit weighs 35 kg and can withstand the impact of even a major blast, though the one wearing it hasto be thoroughly framed to be able to use it, informs Major Thomas.Other devices include the explosive detector and the surface sampler which can pick up the residue left in the wake of the blast and the telescopic manipulator which can be extended to pick up any object weighing around eight to ten kg.Another interesting apparatus is the bomb blanket which is used to suppress the fragments in cases of minor blasts. In the case of a major blast as in Coimbatore, sandbags were used to withstand the possible impact of the blast. Although none of these instruments are presently available, Major Thomas said that the process of indigenisation is in progress.
