Sniffers at ISKCON after Terror Alert

BY: PRAVEEN KUMAR

Aug 11, 2010 — BANGALORE, INDIA (MIRROR) — When police sniffer dogs became a part of ISKCON's daily routine following an intelligence alert in 2008, they decided to hire their own — they now pay Rs 35,000 a month for a pair of Labradors.

ISKCON has decided to tackle terror with a pair of expensive security guards of the four-legged variety. Labradors Gazi and Sherry have been sourced from a Delhi-based security firm, Peregrine Guarding Private Limited, which supplies highly trained dogs to star hotels and other establishments. The firm's training for the dogs, which includes anti-sabotage and explosives-sniffing work, is on par with that of top security outfits like the NSG and the SPG.

Following an intelligence alert about a terror threat to the temple in 2008, sniffer dogs from the city police were deployed twice a day at the ISKCON premises. But during festive occasions and on weekends, it became difficult to handle the hordes of visitors, which is when the temple authorities decided to go in for their own sniffer dogs. While human guards are paid anywhere between Rs 5,500 and Rs 7,500 a month, the firm charges ISKCON Rs 35,000 per month for the dogs. They are also given branded vegetarian dog food.

Duties

Gazi and Sherry's duties include sniffing for explosives in the temple premises, in visitors' cars and in baggage. They are not allowed near the temple sanctum sanctorum.

"They have been reared so as not to intimidate anybody, and have their own separate kennels," Gurumurthy, a security personnel with ISKCON, said.

The contrasting pair — Gazi the male is jet black while Sherry the girl is all-white — are especially busy during weekends and festivals like Krishna Janmashtami, when the ISKCON temple gets a steady stream of devotees.

It's mostly 12 days of work in a month for them, with rest periods or training in between.

Refresher courses

Even after the dogs are placed, experts from the firm visit the client's place once in six months to take them through a refresher course. "A handler is stationed with the dogs and bathes, feeds and exercises them," said Suryanarayana, a field officer with Peregrine.

"The dogs are well-trained and extremely well-behaved. They do not cause any problems even when hundreds of devotees visit the temple," Sripati das, temple PR person, told Bangalore Mirror.