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

My Journey through theIntelligence BureauShri K.P. Singh, IPS (Retd.)To begin with, my innate fondness for the I.P.S.(to the exclusion of all other Services) is a storypeculiar and personal to me. Excelling in bothacademics and sports, right from my schooldays, I went on to acquire a first class Masters’degree in Physics from Agra University, leadingto my appointment as a Lecturer in my almamater, Meerut College, Meerut. Additionally, Iemerged as a hockey player of some standing,having played the game at the University andState level, besides participating in various majorhockey tournaments across the country. Myobsession with hockey made me an ardent fan ofMr. Ashwini Kumar, l.P., the redoubtable PoliceOfficer who was at the helm of the Indian HockeyFederation, in an era when our global supremacyin the game was virtually unchallenged. Yearningto emulate Mr. Kumar, I appeared only for thel.P.S., got selected in the very first attempt andnever appeared again for any other Service.Equally fondly, I remember with gratitude Mr.Nikhil Kumar, l.P.S. (presently Governor ofNagaland), whom I chanced to meet at DelhiRailway Station, while on way to the U.P.S.C. forthe l.P.S. interview; he gave me some tips whichproved extremely useful.Fortunately, I was allotted the Madhya Pradeshcadre, which boasted of a very strong Policehockey team, which I represented, perhaps theonly IPS officer to do so. Alongside, I thoroughlyenjoyed my job in uniform, first at Jabalpur andthen at Dabra and Gwalior, chasing the dacoitgangs of Mohar Singh and Madho Singh, in achain of never-ending raids. Life could not havebeen better, with a job in uniform with attendantauthority, responsibility and social recognition,which I thoroughly enjoyed; bungalow to livein; a chauffer driven vehicle; couple of orderlies;and a young wife! As I awaited my promotion andposting as S.P. of a District, came the unforeseennews that I was one of the young l.P.S. officerswhom IB had considered meritorious and suitablefor long term deputation. If, on the one hand, wasthe uneasy feeling of virtually saying ‘good bye’to uniform, on the other, was the elation andpride of having been specially selected by thelB. (of B.N. Mullick’s fame) whose Director, asper I.P.S. Rules, was the highest paid and highestranking Police officer in the entire country. Also,there was the simultaneous fear and charm ofbeing catapulted in one leap from the hinterlandof a district to the national capital. Incidentally, Iwas to recall at this point of time, as to how somemonths ago, Mr. Devendra Singh, IPS, had comeall the way to meet me with the hinted purposeof seeking a matrimonial alliance; I then beingan eligible bachelor. This indeed was my firstexperience of the finesse with which lB conductsa secret enquiry. With the adoption of a suitablecover story, Mr Devendra Singh feasted on thespecial 'black partridges lunch' served by me,all the while evaluating my suitability for lB, while Iwas hoping to get a beautiful wife !On joining I.B. in September 1970, life in Delhiwas least comfortable, specially for my wife,living, first, in a rented accommodation, andlater, in a small Government flat, without help ofany kind. On the brighter side, was the beautifulcity of Delhi with its monuments, gardens,avenues and charming landscape. Above all, wasthe immense joy and pride of having an officein the imposing North Block. Also, the medicaland educational facilities in Delhi, as comparedto those available in districts, were extremelygood. Both our children were born in the V.I.P.ward of Wellingdon Hospital and later had theirschooling in some of the better known publicschools of Delhi.Soon enough, however, the absence of materialcomforts in lB/Delhi was more than compensatedby lB’s invigorating professional environment of82The Indian Police Journal, October - December, 2012, Special Issue