Editorial Board Contents - Bureau of Police Research and ...

My first interface with the lB was a mundane oneinvolving a junior operative. In 1956, a youngprobationary Sub Inspector of the lB was assignedfor a short period of training to Nasik, where Iwas the Assistant Superintendent of Police. Sincethe cadets, as they were then called, had beentrained in Mount Abu, I took particular interestin his initiation and he too appreciated mycontribution to his grooming. On letting off witha warning, a villager who he had accosted forriding a cycle after dusk without the mandatorylight, the villager repaid the kindness by givinghim some information that led to the arrest of agang of cattle lifters. It was a lesson in humangratitude that I needed to learn at the very start ofmy own service!In 1958, I was promoted as Superintendent ofPolice and posted to Parbhani in the Marathwadaarea of the old Nizam’s territory. Fringe elementsof the Muslim gentry, who were the privilegedones in the Nizam’s times, were not verycomfortable with the new regime, particularlyafter the State of Hyderabad was split and somedistricts (five) were merged into the new Stateof Maharashtra. The activities of some of thesedisgruntled elements were the subject of closewatch, not only by my own intelligence branch,headed by a Sub Inspector of Police, but also ofthe lB’s representative stationed in Nagpur. Hewas a senior man of the rank of Dy. SP, whocame in every month or so to brief me about thepolitical activities in my jurisdiction.Twice a year, S.E. Joshi, who later becameDirector of RAW, and a very eminent one at that,visited my district. In 1958, he was the CentralIntelligence officer of the lB based in Mumbai(then Bombay). Joshi, who was a year senior inservice, stayed with me when he visited Parbhani.I had a huge bungalow, which, as a bachelor,I occupied in solitary splendor till I got marriedin April 1959. But even after my marriage, Joshiwho belonged to a very renowned family ofAmravati and whose father, or was it grandfather,had been Knighted by the British, was happy tostay with us. We continued our contacts till mynext district, Nanded, which also came within hisjurisdiction.Joshi was one of the finest human beings I havecome across. A lesson he taught me is etchedin my memory. I was praising the acumen ofhis deputy from Nagpur. His reaction was that agood intelligence officer should never harbourprejudices. His deputy, he felt, was somewhatbiased against Muslims. Anybody with abias could never report objectively or judgesituations, as they needed to be judged, fortaking vital decisions at the administrative and,more importantly, political levels. This pieceof wisdom coming to me from an intelligenceofficer, seconded to the lB under the earmarkingscheme, has remained in my subconscious eversince. To overcome the normal human failingsof bias or prejudice is not easy at the best oftimes. Every time I struggle, I think of S.E. Joshiwhose recent death in Mumbai left me grieved.Joshi was offered an extension in service but herefused on principle. His thoughts were for thosewho aspired to succeed him and many moredown the chain who aspired for promotions inthe vacancies that would automatically be causedby the senior levels moving up. Not many officersof Joshi’s caliber and strength of character can befound today. On the other hand, those lobbyingfor extensions are a dime a dozen!My next significant interface with the lB wasin Mumbai when I was Police Commissionerbetween 1982 and 1985. Shreekant Bapat,whose marriage I had attended in Pune nearlyfifteen or more years earlier, was the Jt. Directorin charge of the lB in the Western Region, withhis headquarters in Mumbai. During our watch,we received intimation from his headquarters inDelhi, that Bindranwale was travelling to Mumbaifrom Gujarat in a bus, with followers who werearmed to the teeth. Some of these men wereperched atop the bus brandishing guns! A clearviolation and defiance of the law! I offered to takethem on when they crossed into my jurisdictionbut was advised to hold my hand since a plan hadbeen put in place to confront the law breakerson their return journey. A crack detachment ofparamilitary personnel was assigned to disarmthem in an uninhabited area of the highway, soas not to cause damage to person or property ofinnocent civilians. My mandate was to monitorthe movements of Bindranwale during his stay inthe city and report back religiously to the CentralGovernment.80The Indian Police Journal, October - December, 2012, Special Issue