YSR Congress Party Chief Jagan Mohan Reddy after he was stabbed at Visakhapatnam Airport. (Photo: Asian Age)

The recent blade attack on YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy at the VIP lounge of Vizag airport is to be condemned in the strongest terms. The country has breathed a sigh of relief that the young leader could escape serious harm. News reports suggest a flagrant indifference to security concerns at Hyderabad and other airports in the area. It appears that the CISF personnel, who guard airports, come into play after people have entered the terminal building, and then passengers go for checking-in. Essentially, this means that entry is easy, even for crime-plotters. For those working inside the airport building, it is even easier, as is relevant in the present case.

Mr Reddy was attacked in the VIP lounge. It seems this area is not a part of the security zone. This is surprising. A senior CISF official has been quoted as saying to this newspaper that the mandate of the force is “anti-terrorism, anti-sabotage and anti-hijacking”, and not VIP security. Something seems wrong with such a remit. VIPs can be targets of terrorism, and it is hard to see how the two issues can be kept in water-tight compartments.

Mr Reddy himself has made no observations on the attack. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu sees in the assault an attempt by the BJP and the Telangana CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao to destabilise his government (presumably by creating an air of mistrust and lack of safety in the state). It is important to investigate swiftly and come to mature conclusions.