Anti-Terrorist Drill at Patna Airport Shocks Many
Patna: Oct. 27, 2007
 State's top officials in Patna on Saturday, took the entire law and order machinery by surprise when they conducted a mock anti-terrorist drill at Patna's Jai Prakash International Airport to review the emergency preparedness in the event of an actual such incident.
The exercise that was kept top secret from even some top police officials began at around 11:45 pm when authorities were informed that a plane at the airport tarmac had been hijacked by some criminals demanding the release of one of their comrades from the jail.
Within minutes, armed commandos swooped on the airport with sharpshooters strategically placed to deal with the terrorists. Language experts were also called in to interpret the 'terrorists' demands.
Chief Secretary Afzal Amanullah, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kundan Krishnan, Special Branch, and the Investigation Bureau officials were present at the airport to monitor the entire drill.
The two and a half hour long exercise was considered a huge success though authorities conceded the response time could have been better had it not been for the traffic jam due to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rally preparation throughout the city.
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