• Rs. 2.5-crore Mobile Command Centre stationed elsewhere as blast occurs near Palace on busy tourist weekend
• Yesterday the Mobile Command Centre was parked unused at CAR Grounds because there was no driver!

Mysore/Mysuru: While the Mysore Palace and its surroundings were teeming with visitors and tourists on Thursday evening during the helium cylinder blast where three persons were killed, the Mobile Command Centre — launched by the City Police in 2018 to assist personnel in maintaining law and order during large gatherings — was inexplicably stationed at Udayagiri Circle in the northern part of the city.

In a startling development, sources confirmed that the Mobile Command Centre was neither summoned nor deployed at the blast site following the explosion of a helium cylinder near the Jayamarthanda Gate.

Instead, the vehicle reportedly proceeded to the City Armed Reserve (CAR) headquarters near the Chamundi foothills — where it is usually parked — before being taken off duty for the day.

When Star of Mysore sought details on the vehicle, officials stated that the Mobile Command Centre had been stationed at the CAR Police headquarters due to the absence of a driver.

The hi-tech vehicle, designed to function as a fully equipped mobile Police Control Room, was procured specifically to remain on the move and provide live surveillance at sensitive locations, particularly crowded tourist zones. However, it was conspicuously absent from one of the city’s most high-footfall and high-security areas during a critical incident.

Deployment concerns

Costing Rs. 2.50 crore, the Mobile Command Centre arrived from Punjab on Jan. 16, 2018. It is equipped with over 20 cameras, including static cameras, body-worn cameras, Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras, wireless detachable cameras and a drone camera — all seamlessly linked to the City Police Control Room.

The system is designed to deliver real-time surveillance and operational support during emergencies, public events and large gatherings.

The vehicle also houses fingerprint units, an anti-sabotage check unit, bomb squad facilities and other advanced features. Its cameras can monitor and record riots, mob attacks or group clashes within a one-kilometre radius. The multi-purpose unit can accommodate up to 30 Police personnel at a time.

Despite these capabilities, the question of why the Mobile Command Centre was not stationed near the Palace — an area with consistently high tourist density — remains unanswered.

Sources said that, as per standard procedure, deployment of the Mobile Command Centre falls under the purview of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order).

The failure to utilise this critical facility during a serious incident in a high-security zone has raised troubling questions about emergency response mechanisms within the city Police.