PTI
NEW DELHI, March 1: Karnataka was warned of a possible terrorist strike but the authorities at the Indian Institute of Science, the centre of the attack, had refused to allow police to enter the campus, the Rajya Sabha was told on Wednesday.
Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said since police is a state subject, the Centre had limited powers to intervene.
"We knew they were going there (Karnataka) as we had intelligence reports," Patil said.
He, however, said it was not possible to obtain "actionable intelligence" to determine the timing of the attack.
Patil said the IIS campus was manned by 50 to 60 security personnel, including private security, and the authorities made it clear "that we will not allow police to enter the campus".
He said in general it was felt that any university or educational institution in the country did not desire presence of police fearing it could disturb their working.
Patil assured agitated Bharatiya Janata Party members that he was not finding fault with anyone and said there had to be better coordination between the Centre and states to thwart terrorist attacks.
The minister said as part of the new strategy, the terrorists were targeting sensitive installations of national importance like scientific labs or IT centres.