It was a close call this afternoon for Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Hari Prasad and 16 Corps Commander Lt Gen T P S Brar but that didn’t prevent them from attending office later where they probably sat to ponder on the security lapse which gave militants the chance of going after the Command top brass.Normally, the visit of a Army Commander to a militant-infested area is preceeded by a road opening party and complete santisation of the zone. So at Army headquarters in New Delhi, questions are being asked: Why was the area not completely sanitised before the Generals arrived? Did someone leak the information that Lt Gen Prasad was already on an inspection tour of the Akhnoor sector? Where was the security cordon when the militant — he later blew himself up and killed a Brigadier — advanced on the officers with grenades?It’s learnt that Gen Prasad, who took over as Northern Army Commander on June 1, had been inspecting 16 Corps formations since Monday. He was touring the 10 (Akhnoor) Division, headed by Major General T K Sapru, when he was told of the dawn raid on Tanda by the fidayeen.After being briefed about the attack and After being briefed about the attack and operational plans, Lt Gen Prasad, Lt Gen Brar and Major General (General Staff) K K Khanna decided to visit the scene.Normally, the visit of a Army Commander to a militant-infested area is preceeded by a road opening party and complete santisation of the zone.Brig V K Govil, who died in the grenade attack which left the Generals injured, was EME’s deputy director at the 16 Corps headquarters in Nagrota in Jammu — the first officer of that rank to be killed by militants ever since the death of Rashtriya Rifles sector commander Brig B S Shergill in a Baramulla mine blast in August 2000. Army sources here say serious thought is being given to a review of security arrangements at Army camps. Had more lives been lost in the Tanda incident, which is already being viewed as a major security lapse, there well could have been a dark shadow on the entire Indo-Pak peace process. And everyone in South Block realises this.
