BHOPAL: It was a crisis that Bhopal hadn’t dreamed of — and one that its police perhaps weren’t prepared for.Police did succeed in getting the woman out alive from the clutches of a crazed gunman, thanks to the negotiating skills of SP-south Rahul Kumar Lodha, but residents of the colony, who had a ringside view of the incident, feel it was allowed to drag on far too long. The woman could have bled to death during the long-drawn negotiations, they pointed out.SP Lodha (M) negotiates with him from a fireman’s lift. The woman is rescued after a 12-hour ordealFor starters, police shouldn’t have allowed Rohit Singh to videochat with reporters, said former DG Arun Gurtu. It only ended up feeding his hunger for attention and he milked the crisis as long as he wanted, asking police to shoo away media when he had nothing more to say, and then wanting them back when he missed the limelight.Police should have used jammers, isolated him and carried out the negotiation without media attention, the retired cop said. “They should have involved psychiatrists to negotiate with the hostage-taker. Who would have been held responsible if she had bled to death,” asked Gurtu.Took it slow to ensure girl’s safety: PolicePolice allowed Rohit the upper hand by fulfilling all his demands. Eventually he had his way, ending the drama when he said he would.SP Lodha said their priority was to get the girl out safe. And he succeeded. Residents, whose lives came to a standstill because of the 12-hour showdown, wondered why the SP didn’t arrive earlier and take charge of the situation as he did.Businesswoman Pratiksha Mishra, a resident of the society, said: “Police unnecessarily delayed the matter. If they take so long to tackle an amateur, how will they handle a terrorist?” Swati Joshi, a resident of the same locality, said that her children were locked in the flat because of the media frenzy.Misrod police started on the right note. They arrived quietly and parked their vehicles discreetly so as not to draw attention. But it all went downhill when the hostage taker started video-chatting.A few residents, who had a close-up view of the drama, pointed out some moments when police could have barged into the room and nabbed Rohit. “Instead, police allowed the hostage taker to put up a show. He enjoyed the popularity,” said a resident. The best opportunity was when SI G S Rajput showed great courage to grab Rohit’s pistol. If a few more cops had joined in, the crisis would have been over, said a resident.Specialized units like SDRF and policemen clad in bulletproof vests arrived not until 5pm. SP Lodha said police handled the situation tactically. “He had a pistol and could have harmed the girl. I and other officers counselled him and waited for him to calm down. Police took him into confidence to ensure her safety,” he said.

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