India has allowed perpetrators of terror to get away: Indian Army chief

New Delhi: In an unusual indictment of the government security and policy making apparatus, Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor has said that India has repeatedly allowed perpetrators of terror attacks to get away and that the country should adopt a zero-tolerance policy.

''The US has not allowed a second 9/11 to happen. Indonesia has not allowed a second Bali bombing to happen. India has allowed people to get away after the Parliament attack, the Delhi blasts and, finally, 26/11. It's time for all of us to say no more,'' the Army chief said.

The Army chief General Deepak Kapoor is flanked by the minister of state of defence, MM Pallam Raju and Lt Gen Prakash C Katoch DG, Information Systems

Gen Kapoor was speaking at a function organised by industry chamber CII and his indictment comes just a day after he issued a warning that there was a possibility of an attack similar to the one that occurred in Mumbai last November.

On Wednesday, apart from underlining that India cannot afford a repeat of 26/11, Gen Kapoor also emphasised the need for better intelligence sharing. ''There has to be speedy flow of intelligence and updated data for a speedy decision based on the geographical location and a swift action by the nearest security agencies,'' he said.

Minister of state for defence, MM Pallam Raju, said it was necessary to appoint an intelligence coordinator to handle sharing of state and national-level intelligence inputs.

''There is a requirement to institute a mechanism to centrally feed in and coordinate the intelligence inputs, analyse the same and disseminate them in real time to the end user. This set up could be instituted at the state level and replicated at the national level. The time has come to create a post of a national intelligence coordinator,'' he said.