UNSUNG HEROES, First Edition

My word

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or a long time, among the innumerable issues that pester my mind at the end of each day, prominent has been that of the hardships of an ordinary policeman. Being a journalist who has been dealing exclusively with crime and related topics for over two decades, I have had plenty of opportunities to interact with policemen of all ranks.

Also as a field reporter, I have seen them toiling day in and day out to keep things in order, be it controlling a riot-like situation, clearing traffic snarls, braving scorching sun or unending downpour, maintaining law and order, tracking felons, fighting terror and extremist elements or even helping a physically challenged to cross the road.

Unfortunately, at tea-breaks, in newsroom banters or in general discussions, I hear everyone putting blames on poor policeman, oblivious of the fact that he is yet another human being, a government employee, a son, a father or a husband.

I have seen them struggling to keep things in control while the whole country is celebrating festivals with fervor, leaving his near and dear stay waiting for him at home. I have literally seen their struggle.

All what they are doing is of course not for their personal pleasures. They sacrifice everything, no need to mention about the supreme sacrifice they make.

I wanted to do my bit to see that they get their due respect and love. I know the task of convincing the prejudiced mass is not an easy job.

Bringing out this special issue ‘UNSUNG HEROES’ is my humble beginning to get them some recognition for the great job they are doing. I hope you would appreciate the noble work they do, all to make sure that their fellow beings are safe and live in peace!

Pandarinath Prabhala

Concept, Editor & Publisher

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Price: Rs. 100/Concept & Editor

Pandarinath Prabhala Editorial Consultant

Payam Sudhakaran Coordinators

Gudigunta Srinivas A Kullayappa

Police martyrs, our unsung heroes Inside Content

Special Correspondents

B Yashasvi, P Akash, Suraj K Bharadwaj, Palle Anjaneyulu Design & Layout

Suma T, Kondal, A Srinath Photographs

P Prasad Marketing Head

M Nikhil Reddy Printed & Published by

Pandarinath Prabhala on behalf of FAIR media, This project is supported by Prerana Events & Services Pvt. Ltd., Printed at Sunita Art Printers, Hyderabad.

Administrative office: FAIR media, 3rd Floor, H.No. 11-11-143, Plot No. 91, Telephone Colony, Kothapet, Hyderabad, 500035, Phone: 9666242767, Email: info.fairmedia@gmail.com Š FAIR media

They deserve love, not hatred!

by Payam Sudhakaran

Andhra Pradesh cops, the best in the country

by B Yashasvi

Are the police sacrificial lambs?

by Dr. S. Subramanian

Purging of Naxalism in AP: A tale of relentless battle

........ 47 ........ 51 ........ 55 ........ 58 ........ 61 ........ 63

by P Akash

A chivalrous cop who lives for ever

........ 45

by Pandarinath Prabhala

Vyas IPS, the brain behind Grayhounds

........ 39

by Palle Anjaneyulu

Courage, thy name is Krishna Prasad

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by E Damodar, IPS

Traumas of traffic cops

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by Anurag Sharma, IPS

Give police what they deserve

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by S.A. Huda, IPS

Police martyrs, our unsung heroes

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by V Dinesh Reddy, IPS

Cops are not extra terrestrial

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by K. Aravinda Rao

Surging ahead with the times

.........11

by H J Dora

Colonial Police for Republican India!

by C Anjaneya Reddy

Cops need better training

by A K Mohanty

A murder is just a murder, whatever the reason be!

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by Suraj K Bharadwaj

A brave cop who embraced death

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........ 67

by K.V. Ramesh Reddy

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They deserve love, not hatred!

Everyone looks at the policeman with contempt and derision while he is forgoing all his small personal pleasures to ensure peace in the society. Doesn’t he deserve to get a wee bit of love and respect from the society?

Payam Sudhakaran

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orning dawns with newspaper and television reports of police violence and images and visuals of their ‘mindless’ acts on innocent and peaceful ‘protestors’.

They speak volumes and volumes about the police corruption and their nexus with criminals and gangland dons. Everyone nitpicks and carps the cops.

Human rights organisations cry foul when a wanted criminal or a militant dies in a police confrontation. Rallies are held

against police brutality when they try to quell a rioting mob.

They are portrayed as the face of cruelty and sleaze in movies and TV series.

And everyone looks at him with contempt and derision.

Doesn’t he deserve to get a wee bit of love and respect from the society?

Unfortunately, India is one of the very few democracies in the world where people don’t trust police, the most important department of an elected government. In fact, as

often portrayed and perceived, Indian police are not the agents of political bigwigs and the ruling parties, they are the actual keepers of the peace and security of the society.

But no one wants to talk about it. No one stops to think the great services they render to the society.

The Indian constabulary is consisted of young men from the lowest strata of society, a deliberate act of the imperial elite, so that they could be used for violence and oppression

Police on bandobust duty in Old City of Hyderabad (file photo)

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Police on a bomb detection job on a train risking their lives

against the people without scruples. Even after six decades of Independence, the Indian constabulary is still made to follow the colonial rules.

Braving extreme climates and unfamiliar territories, policemen always work with dedication. They make supreme sacrifices in the process of keeping the society peaceful and happy, all ill-equipped and giving up personal pleasures.

Their payment is barely sufficient to make their both ends meet, let alone enjoying a lavish dinner with loved one outside. They never get to see their children properly, nor find time to spend with their spouses. They are always on toes for one reason or the other.

They have no guarantee that they would return home at end of the day.

But then, I’m not here to say that everything is hunkydory with the constabulary.

They do have inefficiency in the prevention and detection of

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crime, they had all reputation bad and ugly, and are totally ill-equipped and not properly trained.

I have one point to make.

The Indian police do not have their own identity. Don’t blame them for that. It is the ruling elite that has to be held accountable.

Though the top brass of the police is carefully selected and groomed and enjoys high status in the country, they are often oblivious of the reasons for this sorry state of affairs of constabulary.

No one educates the general public who heaps abuses of the police the hardship they undergo and their innumerable constraints. It is not just the politicians and the elected government that use police for vested interests, but the design, structure, culture and leadership as well are equally responsible for the problems.

A senior IPS officer Ashok Kumar’s “Human in Khaki’ elaborates the unfortunate

and risky sides of Indian police. Basing on his real life experiences, he portrays the innate humanity and compassion of police officers. In the book, co-authored by Lokesh Ohri, a writer, anthropologist and arts and heritage activist,he also narrates incidents where his humane and understanding approach wiped the tears of a rape victim, a man threatened with extortion, a person whose land had been grabbed, and facilitated framing of charges against persons accused of dowry death or guilty of exploiting a minor girl.

Another book ‘Understanding the Indian Police’ written by another two senior IPS officers Arvind Verma and K S Subramanian also shows the real picture of Indian police and also points out the problems and suggests solutions to them.

There may be more books available on the issue, but everyone should is to see the police in a humane angle. Governmental and nongovernmental organisations should come forward to tell the people about the good deeds these policemen do for the society. Let them know the sacrifices they make for no personal benefit of theirs.

The policeman is just another government employee.

He is carrying out his duties despite all the hardships. He is a citizen like you who dedicate his life for your safety and security.

He deserves love, respect and care. Please give him his due.

(The author is a senior journalist)

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Andhra Pradesh cops, the best in the country The Chief Minister was all praises for AP Police for being a role model for the entire country in maintaining law and order. He said he was overwhelmed when he found youngsters from across the State getting inspired by police officials B Yashasvi

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ne more Police Commemoration Day has passed by. Rich tributes were paid to the gallant policemen who laid down their lives for protecting the society. It was a moment of great pride for the ‘human beings’ in khaki when Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said AP Police ranked top Unsung Heroes 2012

in the country in maintaining law and order. He was addressing the gathering of police officials at the ShivkumarLal Police Stadium on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day. Excitement was palpable among police personnel when Kiran Kumar Reddy said he was happy to find during his tour across the state that today’s youngsters were inspired by police officials.

Stating that a small mistake committed even at a lower level would badly affect the image of the department, the Chief Minister said AP Police had been able to tackle new challenges efficiently.

He also showered praiseson the AP Police for being a role model for the entire country in tackling extremism. The Chief Minister did not mince words while admitting that there had

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been growing pressure on the police department.He said the government was trying to reduce the work pressure and improve the facilities provided for the police personnel.

In what comes as an encouragement for the State police force, thousands of vacancies are being filled up in the department and new facilities are being provided. The Chief Minister announced sanction of Rs.50 crore for the construction of a corporate hospital and Rs.35 crore for the repairs of residential quarters for the police personnel cross the State.

He also announced that the request made by Director General of Police (DGP) V Dinesh Reddy to abolish Value Added Tax (VAT) for the material sold in the central police canteens would be examined and a right decision would be taken soon.

Speaking on the occasion Home Minister P SabitaIndra Reddy said it was the duty of all to respect the police personnel for the sacrifices they were making.

She said anti-social elements and extremists could achieve nothing by using violence and insisted that police should feel more responsible while discharging their duties.

The Home Minister called upon the people to remember that policemen were also like any other person who had people to feed and educate, but they make sacrifices for the safety of others.

Speaking on the occasion, DGP Dinesh Reddy said police sacrificed their lives fighting terrorists, extremists and mafia elements. He appealed to the Chief Minister to allocate funds for medical aid, repairs to residential quarters and also exempt VAT for the central police canteens being established across the State on the lines of army canteens.

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Now, canteen for cops to buy things for a song!

DGP interacting with staff after inaugurating police canteen

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irector General of Police (DGP) V Dinesh Reddy on the Police Commemoration Day inaugurated a police canteen on par with the army canteens at the APSP first battalion campus in Yousufguda.

The day also marks the completion of 150 years of establishment of police system in the country.

With the opening up of the canteen, now the police personnel could buy everything on subsidized rates from the canteen. Products such as vehicles and other costly material could be ordered through the police canteen and buy it on subsidized rates as applicable.

Chief Minister, Home Minister, DGP and other senior officers paid floral tributes amidst ceremonial homages paid by the special contingents of the APSP, city and Cyberabad police.

The government has been requested to exempt Value Added Tax (VAT) for police canteens and expressed confidence that the government would take a favourable decision in the interest of the police personnel, according to Dinesh Reddy.

He said similar canteens would be opened in all the districts in a phased manner for the benefit of the police personnel and their families.

The DGP also inaugurated a blood donation camp, breast cancer screening programme and HIV and TB awareness camp at the battalion campus.

Police officials of all ranks along with their families attended the programme.

Governor ESL Narasimhan,senior IPS officers and officials from the city police paid homage to the police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

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Are the police sacrificial lambs?

Police, day in and day out, face the Hamletian dilemma of to do or not to do. They opt for the former facing grave risks to their lives.

Statistics of deaths of policemen in the line of duty is staggering and chilling. Nowhere in the world so many policemen make the supreme sacrifices for their country Dr. S. Subramanian

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n that fateful day, on October 21, 1959, in the hostile terrain of Ladakh, 10 gallant policemen of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) fell to enemies’ bullets in the altar of duty while safeguarding Indian territory from Chinese aggressors.

Every year, police forces all over India observe October 21 as Police

Commemoration Day, not only to pay homage to those brave ten, but also to remember and revere hundreds of policemen, who continue to give their today for our better tomorrow.

These sacrifices are made while defending the country from external threats, fighting internal antisocial elements, disintegrating secessionists, insurgents, terrorists

Greyhounds personnel carrying the body of their colleague after Balimela incident

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and extremist elements, communal and divisive forces and criminals and ensuring peaceful conditions in society. Even as they are maligned and derided by others, policemen have always lived up to their credo – Duty unto Death.

For these brave men, no bell tolls and a large section of society, which makes a hue and cry when an anti-national element or a terrorist dies in the hands of police, remains insensitive to the deaths of policemen while performing their duties. It is sad that the Government of India has not yet thought it fit to have a National Police Memorial in Delhi nor observe the Police Commemoration Day with due solemnity.

Police, day in and day out, face the Hamletian dilemma of to do or not to do. They opt for the former facing grave risks to their lives. Statistics of deaths of policemen in the line of duty is staggering and chilling. Nowhere in the world, so many policemen make the supreme sacrifices for their country. A research study indicates that nearly 45 per cent of the deceased police personnel in India were under 35 and 10 per cent of them were less than

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25 years of age indicating that they were snatched away by death in the prime of their life. Since Independence, police fatalities are more than the fatalities suffered by the defense forces in the four wars and the IPKF operations. Antinational and anti-social forces are now targeting policemen and their families – casualties among them are being increasingly reported.

Can a liberal democracy afford to remain complacent in the face of these facts and figures?

Shouldn’t an effort be made to halt the trend and reverse the tide? It may be argued that risk to life is an occupational hazard for policeman.

While an occasional loss of life is unavoidable and inevitable, the staggering numbers of deaths as compared to other countries should make us ponder over the causes and consider possible solutions to reduce police fatalities.

Lack of Role Clarity

What is the role of police?

Is police a civilian organisation to prevent and detect crime and maintain civil order as adumbrated in the Police Act of 1861 or a force to fight elements of destabilisation and low intensity conflicts? Police are armed, trained and mentally equipped to be an unarmed service eschewing use of force and avoiding deaths to citizens in their operations. Legal and procedural requirements stress on this aspect.

When pitted against the elements of destabilisation, police often find that they are ill-equipped, illtrained and mentally not prepared to adapt to conditions of urban and rural guerrilla warfare. Even the paramilitary forces are not trained or equipped specifically to fight low intensity conflicts. It is high time that the role police is clearly defined and one wing of the police is specially trained and equipped to deal with low intensity conflicts and guerrilla warfare launched by

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AP Police Martyrs-2012

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rinatha Rao was on duty when he was killed due to lightning on September 10, 2011. He is survived by parents and three siblings, who live in Nellimarla village of Vizianagaram district.

the Maoists.

Review of Procedures

At present, police are operating under legal norms and procedures evolved over 100 years ago, when the situation was idyllic. These norms are now no way appropriate to deal with the elements of destabilization prevalent today. There should be a clear-cut differentiation between the legal norms and procedures applicable to law abiding citizens and those to be followed in respect of anti-nationals and antisocials who defy the existence of the nation. As observed by an American Jurist, Bill of Rights is not a suicide pact entered into by the USA with its enemies for its own destruction. While citizens, who subscribe to the concepts of Rule of Law and Equality before Law and who accept the State as a holistic social organisation, should be entitled to have all the rights and privileges guaranteed to the citizens by the very same system which they seek to destroy.

Motivation & Morale

Self-esteem is an essential component to motivate humans.

Police are often condemned and denigrated as an organisation for the faults of a few individual members. Policemen are expected to don the mantle of an ideal citizen and in spite of the best training, leadership and guidance, in large human organisations, there will always be a few black sheep.

G Trinatha Rao, Greyhounds Constable

While ruthless efforts are to be made to weed these out, the entire police organisation should not be condemned. People should support police for their right actions and punish the errant squarely.

Media and non-governmental organisations can play a vital role in this.

Separation of rules

One of the debilitating roles of police is order maintenance.

Contrary to popular belief, Law and Order do not go hand in hand and law is not an instrument of order and frequently it is its adversary.

Order under Law implies rational restraint upon rules and procedures used to achieve Order. Order under Law, subordinates the ideal of conformity to the ideal of legality.

Order maintenance demands initiative and quick action and Law emphasises on procedures and circumspection and demands conformity with procedures and adherence to norms or legality. As it happens during communal riots policemen have to enforce Order against the will of the society. On such occasions, policemen become the islands of sanity amidst the ocean of hatred and bigotry. There is an urgent need to bifurcate the roles of Law Enforcement and Order Maintenance by having two distinct wings in the police service.

Empower the Police

Police need functional autonomy when dealing with elements of destabilisation. They are to be provided with the required Unsung Heroes 2012

legal, administrative, financial and infrastructural support. Since police are meant to serve the people, people should take active interest in forcing the government to provide the required tools to the police. The police modernisation programme of the Government of India is too meager and ineffective to deal with the multiple threats being faced by the country.

Give up Police Bashing

Society should realise that policing is its own function and police organisation is only a substitute to spare them from actual physical participation. Active cooperation between the public and the police are required and NGOs and public-spirited citizens can promote this. Police bashing should be given up as the favourite pastime and instead police backing should become the credo. An indifferent society will get an indifferent and inefficient police service. Constant interaction and close supervision by the society will keep the police organisation in the right path. Police leadership should also ensure that there is

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AP Police Martyrs-2012

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astanaiah was on duty on the National Highway 5 when he was killed in a road accident on October 8, 2011. He is survived by wife and two daughters, who live in Korivivari Kandriga village in Nellore district.

more transparency in the working of the police organisation to invoke public confidence and cooperation.

Civil Society

It is heartrending to see well-meaning members of civil society, who shed copious tears when an anti-national, militant or a disintegrationist is killed or maimed in police operations, keep mum when police personnel are killed in cold blood. Are the police personnel not citizens of India who are entitled to enjoy the same privileges like any other citizen in the country? Or shall they remain sacrificial lambs of the society? It is time, the so called civil society activists realised their obligations to protect impartially all citizens

K Mastanaiah Police Constable, Nellore dist

which include policemen.

Quality

Police are there to protect the society from unlawful elements.

Quality of a society is reflected on the quality of police service it has. Unless the society takes active interest in creating an ethical and lawful police organisation, the quality of police in India will not improve. Police in India has stood as a bulwark against all forces of disintegration and destabilisation and let the society help it to continue to provide peaceable conditions to enable the nation to become a prosperous and powerful one.

(The author is Padmashri awardee and former Director General of CRPF and NSG and Founder Director of SPG)

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Purging of Naxalism in AP: A tale of relentless battle In the process of subduing the left wing extremism in Andhra Pradesh, the State police force has lost hundreds of its valiant officers and constables who fought a fierce battle notwithstanding insufficient manpower and lack of sophisticated weapons

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he peace that our society enjoys today did not come that easy. With limited resources and unsophisticated weapons, our police force had to sacrifice many lives in the process of getting rid of the left wing extremism from Andhra Pradesh and bring back social order to the society.

It has been a gory story of bloodshed and murders. It cost the police force lives of hundreds of its young officers and constables in the combat against those extremists who had resorted to mindless attacks on policemen.

The Naxalite problem began Greyhounds commandos on combing task in Andhra Pradesh way back in the leadership of Vengal Rao, the 1966 when the movement gained then home minitster. However, momentum in West Bangal after during the Emergency in 1975the Naxalbari incident. Scores 77, the Naxalite movement lost its of youngsters from Srikakulam influence in the society due to stern and Visakhapatnam districts were actions by the police. attracted to the Naxalite ideology After the 1977 general and left their studies in universities elections, the Congress was to join the Naxalbari movement. defeated and a new government Violence was rampant was formed by The Janata Party, in Srikakulam district those which was sympathetic towards days. Hacking of zamindars, Naxalite leadership. Also, the looting money and foodgrains Naxalite leaders who were arrested and distributing them among during emergency came in contact poor was the order of the day. with Janata Party leaders in Concrete steps were taken by the prisons. As a result, commissions then government and the police were appointed against encounters, department, particularly under Unsung Heroes 2012

H J Dora

cases were registered against many police officers in different states.

The Naxalite leaders did not stop there. Instead, they intensified their efforts to restart the movement. This time, several front organisations were started.

Separate organisations were formed for students, advocates, youth and farmers and farm labourers while armed units remained under cover and led the movementa head.

The front organisations printed pamphlets, filed cases in various courts including High Court againstpolice officials who

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Greyhounds commando exchanging fire with Maoists in a forest

worked hard. The outside world was unaware of the propaganda tactics and the Naxalite violence was hushed up. Instead, the front organisations used to depict police actions as oppressive acts.

The movement took several turns in Andhra Pradesh. For long, Naxalites used to destroy public properties such as school buildings, MDO and MRO offices, telephone exchanges and RTC buses. Later, radical youth organisations and farm labourers organisations resorted to atrocities in villages. People were fed up and started slowly hating Naxalites.

However, they preferred to keep mum as the armed units of the extremists supported the people up to certain extent.Naxalites used to create terror by way of violence and also by organising meetings with huge gatherings. They used to kill and mutilate their targets to terrorise people.

In the process, educated youth began distancing from the movement. Also, group wars within the Naxalites started sprouting apparently weakening the movement. Feudal and bureaucratic systems were clearly visible in the movement.

However, it has to be admitted that the police department was left behind in tackling Naxalites due to which Naxalites went on Unsung Heroes 2012

strengthening their armsbase.

People, elected representatives and employees were left with no other option but to follow their diktats. Businessmen also danced to their tunes. In the process, Naxalites began attacking police stations to loot weapons and kill police personnel. People began losing confidence in the police department in the face of Naxalite attacks as police could not protect themselves and the police stations.

In this backdrop, it was necessary to give better training to the police personnel who were fighting the extremists. Along with training, modern weapons and other gears were procured from other countries and supplied to the ground level personnel.

New police station buildings were constructed in place of the old ones, which were equipped to withstand Naxalite attacks. Communication system was modernised and the intelligence system began functioning effectively.

The moment police started fighting back the armed units, people began reposing confidence in the police again. Steps were taken to improve self-confidence among the APSP, Greyhounds and Reserve Police personnel and several incentives were given to them. Compensation was given to those killed in encounters and

promotions were given to those who arrested and killed Naxalite leaders in encounters.

Police personnel began showing enthusiasm as a result of auxiliary promotions.

It was then the Naxalite leaders and rebels started surrendering to the police. The surrendered Naxalites expressed their interest to join the mainstream. A conducive atmosphere was created for the surrendered Naxalites by speaking to the government and announcing a policy for the rehabilitation.

Scores of Naxalites were attracted to the policy and the movement was weakened.

Also, several armed dalams were wiped out and Naxalites lost scores of weapons while many others joined mainstream due to which the movement was badly damaged. Having no other option, the Naxalites moved away from Andhra Pradesh to other parts of the country where they were safer.

All this could happen only because of the supreme sacrifices made by scores of policemen and officers.

Most of those who laid down their lives were very young and had families to support. They just began their lives with dreams of having a better future, but all dreams shattered when they fell to the bullets and bomb blasts. It is heartrending to see their families, living in eternal grief and misery.

Due to their supreme sacrifices, AP Police today has earned so much respect from the people. Police personnel of all ranks worked as a team and achieved results quickly. It is truly a miracle that a 40-year-old atrocious and violent movement has completely been wiped out. I pay my respects to all those police personnel who made sacrifices in the line of duty.

(The author is former Director General of Police, A.P.)

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Colonial Police for Republican India!

Six decades passed by after India attained freedom. Today, police force in the country is fighting a relentless battle against innumerable enemies. Ironically, the government policy on police is still the Colonial one, framed way back in mid 80’s

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ndia is a huge single entity made of vast diversity. The Indian society is more complex than most others in the world.

It is basically heterogeneous and is divided based on many aspects including language, caste, community and region. Of late, sub-communal or sub-regional sentiments have also surfaced in many places. As is often said in a lighter vein, except the game of cricket there is nothing common that can galvanize this society.

Such a society naturally breeds stresses and strains that often result in societal disturbances. To police a society like this requires Unsung Heroes 2012

C Anjaneya Reddy enormous patience, understanding and restraint. It must be said to the credit of Indian Police that they could police a complex society like this with all the handicaps they suffer in law. It is no exaggeration to say that but for them, this society would not have held together.

Closer home, Andhra Pradesh would not have survived as a functioning State if the police did not put down the communist extremism and divisive movements which had tried to exploit subregional sentiments. Yet the Indian Police continues to be alienated from the people. Why is it so? Let us go into the origins.

Police in colonial India started as an adjunct to the Revenue Department for obvious reasons!

Their early duties were to assist the colonial officials to collect revenues and to maintain order.

In other words, it started as the coercive arm of the government.

Sir Robert Peel separated the police and judiciary and the British police started evolving on non-partisan lines in the 1930s.

About this time, there were liberal reforms in India also. During the time of Lord Cornwallis, 1838-45, gradual separation of revenue and police functions was taking place; the concept of judge-magistrate

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was introduced. The police was beginning to evolve as a public service.

However, the First War of Independence in 1857 hardened the attitudes of the British administrators who veered round to the view that the colonies did not deserve the kind of democratic police they were evolving for the homeland and the police system came to be linked to the objectives of the government for a tight control over the people.

In an unfortunate move, the Secretary of State (1861) opined that the conditions in India warranted the concentration of police authority in the Executive Magistracy. In the original draft of the Police Act prepared by JD Mayne, Professor of Law, Madras University, police were sought to be organised as an independent force with hierarchical control.

Sir Charles Trevelyan, the then Governor of Madras, introduced an amendment to the draft Act subjecting the police to ‘general control and supervision’ of the district magistrate which at that point meant the government.

And they left the phrase - general control and direction - undefined leading to abuse of the police by the administrators initially and these days by the politicians.

When India became independent, things should have normally changed. A democratic India should have normally opted for a police system that would be more a service than a force, a service that would understand the social purpose of its role and respect the rights of people. It didn’t do so, even after India became a republic!

So we now have a situation where a democratic society is policed by a police force whose ethos is colonial functioning in a legal framework that was evolved for colonies.

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Several attempts have been made by some states and the Centre to bring in new police Acts. Most of them, however, are half-hearted.

Even where new police acts have been brought in, the changes are only cosmetic; the police ethos remains the same. Often the police are accused of trampling on the rights of people, functioning outside the law and doing the bidding of those in power. Some of it may not be true; much of it is not far from it!

How do we redeem the situation? If the police were to be neutral between those in power and those out of it, it has to be autonomous and accountable, accountable to the people and not to the government of the day.

It shall be a public service and not a civil or government service like the revenue or panchayat raj departments. How do we achieve it?

Various police commissions have made various recommendations.

A most comprehensive study was made by the Third Police Commission appointed by the Union government immediately after the Emergency through which the police force including the CBI was abused or misused.

The Commission recommended bringing in a new Police Act in in place of the 1861 Act and making the police accountable not to the

Government, but to a State Security Commission on which would be represented both the ruling and opposition parties in addition to sociologists and superannuated judges.

The new police act, according to the Commission, shall emphasize the duties of the police, not merely their powers.

Most of these recommendations are yet to be implemented by most of the states. As a result, there is no significant improvement in the situation. In fact, for an accountable police service in a democratic society, we shall build in accountability at different levels starting with district police councils, on the lines of county councils in the UK. These councils shall be chartered to oversee the functioning of the police without in any way interfering with their work. Also, the Human Rights Commission shall be enabled to take note of any allegation against the police instead of instituting magisterial or judicial enquiries as was done in colonial India. None of the states including our own state made any beginning in this regard.

If the police ethos is to improve, the 150-year-old legal framework within which the police functions should improve. As it is today, the legal system compels

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the police to do many things which they ought not to be doing.

Caught between an antiquated legal system which distrusts the police and severely handicaps their functioning and the expectations of the people to perform and produce results, the police do not seem to attach much importance to the means as long as they can achieve the end. This is unfortunate. The police in a democracy shall attach as much importance to the means as to the ends. If the Indian police functions outside the law as is often alleged, it is most often because of an outdated legal system that falls short of the requirements of the day. Republican India has brought in hundreds of laws on scores of subjects but they are yet to replace the time-worn and anachronistic Criminal Justice System. As long as this situation continues, there would be no significant change in the police ethos. The police force would be not an acceptable service but a necessary evil.

Yet another colonial relic that gives the police a hostile image is

the power to arrest. The offences in the IPC and other penal legislations are divided into cognizable and non-cognizable offences. The police can on complaint or suo motto investigate the offences in the former category where as they cannot take note of the offences in the latter category. The unbridled powers of arrest in respect of cognizable offences, have only served to make the police corrupt and unpopular. While the police shall have the powers to investigate all the criminal offences both cognizable and non-cognizable, the power of arrest shall be withheld from them except in exceptional situations. They shall investigate and send their reports to the Court which alone shall be empowered to summon a person to answer the charges. The power of arrest vested in the police has kept people away from the police and no one wants to visit a police station for fear of being held by the police on some ground or the other.

An innocent person accused falsely in a case under investigation

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ambabu was on duty when he was killed in a road accident on January 16, 2012. He is survived by wife and a daughter, who live in Tekulapally of Khammam district.

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K Rambabu Police Constable, Khammam dist

has every right to give his version to prove his innocence. Yet they do not dare to meet the investigating officer for fear of being held without giving any attention to his plea. Such sweeping powers of arrest have done immense damage to the police as an institution and estranged them from people. It is necessary that in certain situations arrests become necessary; they shall be few and far between. The police shall not have powers of arrest in all cognizable cases; they shall only have powers of investigation.

Where an arrest is to be made, that decision shall be taken at the level of the Superintendent of Police and the investigating officer shall be compelled to record reasons for arrest. The NPC has made a wholesome recommendation to re-define the offences as arrestable and non arrestable - instead of cognizable and non-cognizable.

Even this recommendation is yet to see the light of the day.

The rule of law, which is so vital for a democracy means equality of all before the law. There can be no rule of law as long as the police is controlled and directed by the government. In this situation, those in power will always be more than equal! The Criminal Justice System consists of the Police, the Prosecutor and the Judge.

While the Judicial autonomy is secured by the Constitution, the police are subordinated to the government. Judicial autonomy does not help when the police which performs the equally important role of the investigator, functions under the Government.

In a true democracy, the autonomy and the accountability of all the three wings shall be secured and respected. The sooner we do it, the better for all us!

(The author is former IPS officer retired in the rank of Director General of Police)

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Cops need better training Any deviation by the police from the public expectations opens up a Pandora’s Box. There is a flood of allegations - of indifference, inefficiency, callousness, partisan attitude and even corruption.

A K Mohanty

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o one seems to understand what police is all about.

For some, police force is something intimidating, for others it is an instrument of oppression and for yet others it is one to be at the beck and call of the rich and mighty! How I wish people understood the police!

According to English dictionary, a policeman is a member of an organised body to maintain order or enforce regulation. It describes the police force as ‘the governmental department charged with the regulation and control of the affairs of a community, now chiefly the department established to maintain order, enforce the law, and prevent and detect crime.’

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Yes, its functions are mandated to prevent and detect crimes, maintain law and order, regulate and manage traffic and above all ensure safety and security to the citizen.

Sadly, the public perception and expectations are much beyond these - often demanding and beyond limit.

They think that it is the duty of the police to trace a runaway child, a lost pet, a forgotten bag in an auto whose number is not known, catch the eloped daughter with her boyfriend, plug the overflowing sewerage causing traffic congestion, prevent sounds of music from neighbour’s house and anything and everything that

bothers them. How sad!

Worst still, they expect police to adopt the methods that a petitioner wants. A suspect has to be subjected to third degree for recovery of lost property, an eve teaser has to be thrashed black and blue if the victim happens to be his daughter, a false case of kidnap has to be registered to distance the boyfriend of one’s daughter and the list goes on and on.

Any deviation by the police from these expectations opens up a Pandora’s Box. There is a flood of allegations - of indifference, inefficiency, callousness, partisan attitude and even corruption.

It is unfortunate that before unleashing wild allegations, no one seems to ponder that it is the policeman who remains awake at nights to allow them to have sound sleep, who never enjoys a festival with his family to see the public enjoy it with full vigor. Braving the scorching heat of summer, huge monsoon downpours or shivering cold of winter, it is the policeman who ensures your safety, celebrations and easy vehicular movements out in the open.

Think of this. Persons who have never come in contact with police turn the biggest critics of police accusing them of cruelty, indifference, unresponsiveness and brutality. The services rendered

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by policemen during cyclones, floods and other natural calamities beyond the call of their duty are forgotten within no time. Who has to time to remember the supreme sacrifices being made by hundreds of policemen for the cause of the nation year after year. Even a floral tribute on Martyrs’ Day comes very hesitatingly from the public. It gets largely confined to policemen and their families.

Despite all the odds, police have not bogged down and distanced themselves from their moral and legal responsibilities.

Policemen brave the bullets from the terrorist and extremists, relentlessly fight communal riots, handle cybercrimes, deal with white collar and economic offences, track criminals and antisocials and fight social vices. The contribution it has made to save the nation from disintegration in Punjab, North East and other parts is too well known to be ignored.

Challenges of internal security scenario are showing no signs of abatement. On the contrary, they are becoming more

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enkanna was on Chief Minister’s bandobust at B N Reddy Nagar when he was killed in a road accident on the Sagar Highway on March 18, 2012. He is survived by wife and two kids.

complex and unpredictable. And it is the only visible arm of the government – the police - that have to bear the brunt of it, especially the frontline policemen.

A young policeman, armed with an intermediate or degree certificate, needs to have multidisciplinary skills and expertise and this is when the police training comes to occupy the centre stage of strategy. To discharge his responsibilities with efficiency, he needs to possess the knowledge of a legal and forensic expert, fitness and endurance of an athlete, strength and stamina of a sportsman, manner and etiquette of a gentleman, attitude and compassion of a saint, communication skills of an orator, planning and execution skills of

K Venkanna Head Constable, Cyberabad

a strategist and other frontline leadership qualities.

Police training are thus modeled keeping such requirements in mind and broadly undertaken through induction training, inservice training and specialised training modules.

Induction training is mainly focus on basics and fundamentals with reference to a target group, in-service trainings are designed as refresher course on important areas, subjects of work.

Specialised trainings are to create special units for extraordinary areas of work and other areas of work requiring expert knowledge.

Training methodology covers lecture sessions in theory and practices, case studies, simulation exercises and also covers exercises on communication skills, decision

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APPA – Where police are groomed

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he Andhra Pradesh Police Academy (APPA) is the grooming ground for State police personnel. Established in 1986, APPA has been serving as a nodal agency and as an institution of higher learning for Police and other law enforcement agencies, including Forensic Scientists and Public Prosecutors. Surrounded by lush green hillocks near Himayatsagar, Hyderabad, the APPA, spreading over sprawling 175 acres, is located about 25 kms. away from Hyderabad City along Hyderabad – Vikarabad road.

It was late Sri N.T. Rama Rao, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, laid the foundation stone for this prestigious Academy in 1986. The living legend of AP Police Sri C Anjaneya Reddy, IPS (Retd) was the spirit behind the inception of this great Academy. Great police officers like Sri A.V. Subba Rao,IPS (Retd), Sri. H.J. Dora, IPS (Retd), Sri M.V.Krishna Rao, IPS, late Sri Jaspal Singh, IPS, Sri A.K. Mohanty, IPS and Sri.M.Ratan, IPS have contributed immensely to this Academy.

Currently, N Sambasiva Rao, Additional Director General of Police, is the Director of APPA. The Academy, by far the best Training Institute in Andhra Pradesh, has gained international reputation. The Academy has successfully imparted professional training to police personnel of various ranks from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand and Union Territory of Lakshadweep etc.

making, leadership and risk management, project work etc. Outdoor training models are designed to ensure health, fitness, stamina, endurance, willpower, firing skills, survival techniques and a host of other skills that are required to face hostile, risky and hazardous situations. To ensure wider coverage police training is being decentralised from state level training centers, academies to district level and modules are also specially designed to train personnel at their work place itself.

While training schemes are fairly in place, its implementation cannot be said to be encouraging. It will not be wrong to say the government response to police training has been inadequate and at times stepmotherly. A cursory comparison of budgetary provision and rules of an administrative training institute and a police training institute will bear enough testimony to it. Training policemen without proper infrastructure for accommodation, classroom, equipment and teaching aids, absence of inspiring and expert trainers, outdoor facilities etc. have dampened the enthusiasm for training in many states. A big push to police training is called for to keep the force fit and motivated to meet the emerging challenges. Constant upgradation of training facilities, incentives and rewards for expert trainers, encouragement to talents and skills are some of the factors that can contribute capacity building exercises.

Knee-jerk reactions do not give long term solutions.

Sooner it is realised that police training needs to be focused to improve police functioning, the better is for the society.

There has of course been a quality improvement in certain states like Andhra Pradesh in police training.

Upgradation of police academy, establishment of district training centers, standardisation of syllabus of training and their periodical revision, the test modules, designing of course of contemporary relevance have substantially contributed to police performance. Behind the success of elite Greyhounds lies its training module.

District police have proved their worth only because of training. Yet many other areas need to be covered and much more expertise needs to be developed before a level of efficiency is reached.

Training itself is a specialised area and thus needs special attention. Police success and failure can be attributed to training of police personnel to certain extent. Training must occupy a prominent slot in the road map for attaining excellence in police performance.

Capacities of the ordinary policeman needs to be raised to enable him to respond beyond the individual boundaries of work to serve the society and nation and that is only possible through imparting quality training on a continuous basis.

(The author is former Director General of Police, A.P.)

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A murder is just a murder, whatever the reason be!

Taking life of a human being, be it out of vengeance, fit of rage, for financial gain or even in the name of an ideology, is just a coldblooded murder and nothing else K. Aravinda Rao “We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey, And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch and not their terror”.

-Shakespeare ‘Measure for Measure’

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lbert Camus, the noted French philosopher, in his book ‘The Rebel’ makes a distinction between the ‘crimes of

passion’ and the ‘crimes of logic’.

If a person kills another due to sexual jealousy or due to some sudden provocation arising out of a quarrel, it is a murder of passion.

If someone ‘takes refuge in a doctrine’ and chooses to murder another because the other is a landlord or a tyrant, then there is an element of impersonality in the murder. The murderer thinks that he is doing justice by ‘executing’ the tyrant or landlord. The very language changes; it is not a ‘murder’ but an ‘execution’.

If a number of people belonging to one section of

society feel that people belonging to another group are bad, then there is tension. If a large number of people feel that they are oppressed or deprived of their due share of the system, they tend to justify their anger. If such people indulge in violence they are called ‘revolutionaries’ but not ‘criminals’. It is the ‘people’ who commit murder. If there is any extortion or money it is called a ‘party fund’.

The criminal justice system does not recognise the jargon of either capitalism or communism.

It only recognises a murder as

RTC bus blown up by Maoists (file photo)

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Policemen killed by Maoists in a landmine explosion (file photo)

a murder, an extortion as an extortion. The police, being the part of justice system, try to act accordingly but the social scenario is different. If someone is murdered using bombs and firearms in a faction ridden area, and even if the murder is committed in dead secrecy, there will be abundant evidence by the time the case is processed.

Followers of rival group produce a report (FIR) before the police mentioning the names of various accused along with details of their participation. ‘A’ has beaten the deceased with a spear, ‘B’ hit him on the forehead with a stick and ‘C’ stabbed from behind etc. All this might be concocted but still several witnesses come forward to depose evidence in a court of law.

Contrast this with another scene where a villager is brought to the centre of the village by an armed squad of naxalites and killed in front of all the villagers on charges of being a police informant. Here the entire village has witnessed the incident but they are too scared to give evidence about it in a court of law. Unless there is evidence there is no arrest of the accused and unless such evidence is properly processed in the court there is no conviction.

Thus, in a terrorist situation, the criminal justice system is rendered irrelevant. All civilised nations and all the so called advanced countries had to face such situation, and they responded by enacting suitable laws. We can examine the legislative response to terrorism in India.

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ppanna was gathering inputs near Junior College in Paderu on the movements of Maoists when extremists shot him to death on April 26, 2012. He is survived by two wives and two sons.

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K Appanna H.C, Visakhapatnam Rural

Organised terrorism is a comparatively new phenomenon.

The Telangana peasant struggle was tackled more by suppression than by any law. Post-Independence India did not witness much of terrorist violence and hence old laws like Arms Act, Explosives Substances Act were adequate in dealing with the whole gamut of violent crime. With the advent of left wing terrorist violence on one hand and secessionist violence on the other, the country needed a different type of law.

Terrorist Act

The Indian government enacted “The Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, in 1985 (better known as TADA). This Act was revised in 1987 and 1993. Many of the provisions were taken from the UK and Canadian laws of terrorism. However, there was certain vagueness in the definition of ‘terrorist Act’.

The implementation of TADA brought great disrepute and ignominy not only to the police but

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to the government as well. Much of the blame is unjustified. There have been many misconceptions about the scope and manner of implementation of TADA. The resentment against TADA was more on emotional, rather than on rational grounds.

TADA was considered as a weapon of oppression against all political dissenters. It was also seen as an instrument of oppression against Muslims. When the act came to be perceived as anti-Muslim, then it became a highly emotive issue. Facts were forgotten and all political parties were keen on consigning the law to the dustbin.

The left-wing extremist groups had much to gain by painting TADA as anti-Muslim legislation as all the leaders of political parties were forced to establish their secular credentials and TADA became a victim of electoral politics. The Ministry of Home Affairs introduced a Criminal Law Amendment Bill in May 1985 by diluting several provisions of erstwhile TADA. Later the act was repealed in 1995.

Coincidentally during the same period there was a blast in Oklahama (US) killing around 170 persons. The US government reacted sharply by consolidating the earlier laws by enacting an omnibus of Anti-Terrorism Act of 1995. This Act provided for more draconian measures than were envisaged in TADA. Back home, the spirit of injured innocence and barrage of criticism from all quarters left the Ministry of Home Affairs with no option but to shelve the proposed Bill.

The biggest gainers of all this confusion were the anti-national terrorist groups operating in bordering states, while the incidental beneficiaries were the left wing groups operating in the heart land of the country.

Legal infrastructure in the

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THE NOBLE POLICEMAN Aruna Vyas

He makes his entry just when the society is in turmoil And works thus round the clock with his back - breaking toil He jumps and runs and is always on tenterhooks And works he zealously to bring to book the crooks.

Dawn breaks for him with discordant notes of disturbance Routine murders and robberies march on with nonchalance.

No one comes to him with a happy and a smiling face His day drags on wearily recording many a criminal case Sips of hot tea gulps he down and rushes fast To help the needy and desperate and to make them smile at last Come rain or winter he strenously works on forever Hours of grinding duty threaten or restrain him never Sea of vehicles and teeming crowds continue to bustle Regulates he them with his hands and his trusty whistle More brickbats than bouquets await him with a baleful stance For none acknowledges his service without so much as a grateful glance When people go amok he is put in a really terrible plight Law and order he must guard to set the situation right With the coming of V.I.P’s commanded he is to hustle And to control the unruly mob flex he must his muscle Should a terrorist or a gangster strike or make trouble Summoned he is so to the scene to dissolve it at the double Sometimes the terrorist does succeed and make a triumphant gain Making the expertise and valour of the policeman go in vain The terrorist’s bullet stops the policeman’s selfless life Devastating thus his children as well as his widowed wife The bullet may have ripped his heart but certainly not his courage The pride of his sacrifice will sure shine on his visage The nation duly acknowledges the policeman’s matchless dedication And thus bows before him on the day of commemoration form of special courts has been set up in some countries. Mafia in Italy is receiving greater attention than terrorism. France has a system of investigating magistrates, or ‘Judge d instruction’. The Judge d’ instruction does not try the case he investigates, but gathers and organises evidence. Thus he does not suffer from the infirmities like societal suspicion etc. from which a policeman suffers. He

directs the police about collection of evidence, questions witnesses and submits his report to the trial courts. In France, it is not the policeman but the investigating magistrate who is the hero, striking terror among the terrorists.

Any democratic society, thus, has to develop a legal system to defend itself.

(The author is former Director General of Police, A.P)

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Surging ahead with the times In an attempt to strengthen and encourage the police force, a slew of welfare measures have been adopted by the government V Dinesh Reddy, IPS

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imes have changed. Even political parties and ruling governments have changed their perception about the police personnel and realized the need to strengthen and equip them to deal with emergency situations. Unlike earlier, police personnel have been getting better-quality training, sophisticated weapons, outfits and accessories, and also health and other benefits.

A lot of welfare measures have been introduced to bereaved families. In case of casualties due to violence by extremists or terrorists, the bereaved families of constables to sub inspector ranks are paid an ex gratia of Rs.9 lakh each while the families of inspector and above ranks get a compensation of Rs.3.60 lakhs.

The injured police personnel are sanctioned an ex gratia of Rs 3.60 lakhs in case of permanent incapacitation and Rs.2.40 lakhs in case of grievous injury. The last drawn pay of the deceased in such circumstances along with the HRA is paid to the spouse or dependent family member till the projected date of the retirement of the deceased.

Compassionate appointments and house sites are provided to the spouse or dependent family member.

Free education is given to the children of the deceased in AP residential schools and junior colleges.

There are other benefits including train travel concessions, Unsung Heroes 2012

group personal accident insurance policy and others. We have sent a proposal to the government vide C.O. Letters dated 5-5-2011 and 24-8-2012 for grant of ex gratia and other relief measures to the police personnel, who were killed or received injuries in violence committed by anti-social elements.

Orders of the government are awaited.

Flag Fund

A Flag Fund was sanctioned during the year 2012 using which we could provide an amount of Rs.4,37,130 to three police men injured while on duty for purchasing artificial limbs. We could renovate the police boys hostel located in SAR CPL Amberpet with an amount of Rs.6,92,000 sanctioned from the Flag Fund.

An amount of Rs.3 lakhs was sanctioned for a computer training center for the orphan boys of police boys hostel, Amberpet. A rest room for the mothers of children staying in police boys hostel, Amberpet is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 18,90,000 sanctioned from the Central Flag Fund.

These are some of the innumerable welfare measures taken by the department using Flag Fund. Volumes should be written if one has to list all the activities.

Bhadratha

Another significant scheme introduced by the police department is Bhadratha. Entire police force including the ministerial staff (1,20,210) are covered under this scheme. The loans sanctioned

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under this programme during the period from 22-10-2011 to 17-102012 are as follows.

In natural death cases, ex gratia of Rs 5.98 crore was paid to 299 bereaved families and in accidental death cases Rs 3.50 crore was paid to 92 families.

1. House loans to a tune of Rs 57.04 crore was sanctioned to 828 members.

2. Rs 0.41 crore to 18 members was sanctioned towards educational loan.

3. The extent of marriage loan has been enhanced from Rs 1.40 lakhs to Rs 2 lakhs.

4. Rs 10 lakh was sanctioned to 25 members towards computer loan.

5. Educational loan for abroad education was increased from Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs, while within the country for medical courses from Rs 3 lakhs to Rs 5 lakhs and for engineering courses the loan has been increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.

6. In 96 cases of personal loans worth Rs 47.88 lakh and 10 cases of house building loans worth Rs.37.25 lakh were written-off during the year as the members died.

Arogya Bhadratha

Total 1,09,504 members are covered under Arogya Bhadratha scheme, the beneficiaries being 5.47 lakh including spouse and three dependent children in each family. The scheme helps members financially up to Rs.8 lakh in a financial year and in special cases Rs 15 lakh. At present, 134 super specialty hospitals all over the state are accredited under Arogya Bhadratha scheme.

During this year 9,372 members availed the scheme and an amount of Rs 23.08 crore was paid to the hospitals. Seven

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ivanagaiah was on duty when he was killed in a road accident on June 6, 2012. He is survived by wife and two kids.

medical camps were conducted by ABS during the year for different ailments. From the inception of the scheme, 56,913 members were provided treatment under Arogya Bhadratha scheme. An amount of Rs 179.05 crore was paid to the network hospitals. The parents of Arogya Bhadratha members have been included in the ABS. Physically challenged dependent children irrespective of their age are covered under ABS.

Central Police Canteens

To make consumer items affordable for the policemen, we have set up canteens on par with the central armed forces canteens. As a welfare measure to the state police force, this facility will be extended across the State. Proposals were sent to MHA for sanction of 25 central police canteens (CPC) in various police units of Andhra Pradesh. Government of India has so far sanctioned 21 CPCs out of which four CPCs have already started functioning at Vizag, Kakinada, Warangal and Chittoor.

Nearly 212 firms/companies manufacturing branded products are supplying all essential commodities and consumer items to the CPCs at a discount rate of 20 to 25 per cent of the market rate.

Government has been requested to exempt from the VAT the items covered under CPCs.

Welfare measures proposed for Home Guards

Efforts are afoot to provide

G Sivanagaiah Sub-Inspector, Kurnool

better facilities and remunerations to Home Guards who are intergral part of State police force. Proposals were sent to the government on the following issues of Home Guards.

Orders are awaited from the government.

1. Enhancement of duty allowance from Rs 200 to Rs 300 a day 2. Increase of parade allowance from Rs 28 to Rs 40 a month 3. Increase of washing allowance from Rs 25 a month Rs 5 a day 4. Increase of uniform and kit allowance from Rs 1,000 per head to Rs 2,000 (2 pairs of uniform) per annum.

5. Increase of mess allowance from Rs 16 a day to Rs 44 a day 6. Sanction of basic training allowance to newly recruited home guards in lieu of duty allowance of Rs 100 per head per day 7. Sanction of conveyance allowance of Rs 200 a month 8. Extending of Arogya Sree benefits to all Home Guards.

All in all, we are leaving no stone unturned make sure of the welfare of constabulary, who forgo their little happiness and quality time for maintaining the law and order and to protect the society from extremists and terrorists and sometimes even do supreme sacrifices. Salutes to all my brave and earnest fellow policemen!

(The article is based on the media address by the DGP on the occasion of the Police Commemoration Day)

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Cops are not extra terrestrial A constable’s job is that of a garbage man, keeping the streets clean while everyone else in the community throws all kinds of garbage - emotional, psychological, social, religious, political and economic-into it. If he is sweeping it under the carpet, then he is incompetent. If he is avoiding it, he is shirking his responsibility. If he is getting too much into it, he starts stinking.

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ops in the street toiling to steer clear the road of traffic congestion, trying to frisk travellers during an emergency situation, going to investigate a crime in your locality or keeping sentry of an important building – they make constabulary, the face Indian police.

The questions here are how they are being perceived by the general public and how pivotal are their roles in improving police-community relations? The constabulary, who according to the national average, constitutes 90 per cent of the police force, and therefore it is apparent that why I use the word ‘pivotal’.

A man in the street, the most common denominator in the community, comes across the constabulary more often than the officers of the higher ranks who constitute the remaining 10 per cent. The community’s perception, response and reaction to the police as an organisation depend on the common man’s perception, response and reactions to the constabulary. As a result this vast body of men form, what is termed as the ‘cutting edge’ whether blunt or sharp, for the police-community relations. The kind of social strata they come from, their educational background, their promotional prospects in future, their induction process into the subculture, the Unsung Heroes 2012

years of service they have put in, their stay in one particular station and finally their slot in the social hierarchy, apart from other things, are important variables in their role conceptualisation.

The job of a constable is that of a garbage man, who is supposed to keep the streets clean while everyone else in the community throws all kinds of garbage emotional, psychological, social, religious, political and economicinto it. If he is sweeping it under the carpet, then he is incompetent.

If he is avoiding it, he is shirking his responsibility. If he is getting too much into it, he starts stinking.

The constable has other extensions of his personality beyond the much flaunted stereotype of the “cop-robber syndrome”.

Psychologists see this as an extension of the eternal cop-thief game we all play in childhood. Just because a constable puts on a khaki uniform he does not become different from others in the community. He is not extra-terrestrial. He is part of it as someone’s son, brother, husband and father. Being a constable, he plays only one role from a given set of roles.

A Delhi police constable when approached by this author as a student in a Delhi Transport Corporation Bus Stand near the Central Secretariat paid him his

S.A. Huda, IPS bus fare. A ‘Bobby’ in England helps a little girl by getting her cat from the tree top or lends a helping hand to a hapless husband take his wife writhing in labour pain to the hospital or points out the correct address to a stranger. Also Bobby helping blind men or old ladies cross the road is a common sight in the UK. All these aspects of a constable’s life should not be overlooked by the community when dealing with him. It came as a surprise when some responsible members of the community did feel that the ‘blunt edge’ is necessary for maintaining the law and order because the fear psychosis is one of the aspects of controlling the criminals and anti-social elements.

However, that should not become an end in itself.

Let every constable get the Principles of Police Conduct by heart and follow it scrupulously to establish a good rapport with the community.

Principles of Conduct

Police must respect and uphold the rights of the citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution of India. They should enforce the law firmly and impartially without fear or favour, malice or vindictiveness.

They should recognise and respect the limitations of their

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powers and functions. They should not usurp or even seem to usurp the functions of the judiciary and sit in judgment on cases. Nor should they avenge individuals and punish the guilty.

In securing the observance of law and maintaining order they should use the methods of persuasion, advice and warning.

Should these fail and application of force become inevitable, only the minimum required in the circumstances should be used.

They must recognise that they are members of the public with the only difference that in the interest of the community and on its behalf they are employed to give full time attention to duties which are normally incumbent on every citizen to perform.

They should realise that the efficient performance of their duties will depend on the extent of ready cooperation they receive from the public. This in turn will depend on their ability to secure

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udhakar was on duty when he was killed in a road accident on June 6, 2012. He is survived by wife and two kids.

public approval for their conduct and actions and to earn and retain public respect and confidence.

They should be sympathetic and considerate to all the people and should be constantly mindful of their welfare. They should always be ready to offer individual service and friendship and render necessary assistance to all without regard to their wealth or social standing. They should always place duty before self, should remain calm and good humoured whatever be the danger or provocation and should be ready to sacrifice their lives in protecting those of others.

R M Sudhakar Assistant Sub-Inspector, Kurnool

They should always be courteous and well mannered.

They should be dependable and unattached, they should possess dignity and courage, and should cultivate character and the trust of the people. The integrity of the highest order is the fundamental basis for the prestige of the police.

Recognising this, they must keep their private lives scrupulously clean, develop self-restraint and be truthful and honest in thought and dead, in both personal and official lives, so that the public may regard them as exemplary citizens.

(The author is Director General of Police, Law and Order, A.P)

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Police martyrs, our unsung heroes Our policemen do not have time to spend with family.

They do not enjoy weekends and parties. While the entire world celebrates some festival or the other, they keep vigil to prevent untoward incidents. They even sacrifice their lives. Yet they are looked down upon by the so-called civilised society Anurag Sharma, IPS

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ne more Police Commemoration Day. It is with pride we remember the gallant policemen who embraced death while protecting the society from lawbreakers and delinquents. They ventured into the wild to flush out the ultras, they faced and wiped out organized crime gangs, they fearlessly confronted terrorists who wanted to create unrest in the country… and in the bold and dedicated battle against the instruments of evil, to ensure peaceful and protected lives for the common man, hundreds of them fell to the

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enemies’ bullets.

And every year on October 21, we observe ‘Police Martyrs’ Day to remember the policemen who laid down their lives for the society and to pay tributes to the departed souls, also to express our compassion to their shattered families.

And there is a reason the Indian police force chose this date to observe the ‘Police Commemoration Day’. Here is the history: A troop of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was assigned to keep vigil at Aksai Chin in

Ladakhon Indo-Chinese border.

On an extremely chilly day, on October 21 in 1951, when ten CRPF personnel were on duty, a large number of Chinese soldiers barged into Indian territory. The ten brave policemen who were guarding the territory fought back with all their might and resolve, till they fell dead for protecting our soil.

This was the first incident where Indian police sacrificed their lives for the country. Following this, top police brass from all over the country gathered on January 9, 1960 and decided to observe

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October 21 as ‘Police Martyrs’ Memorial Day. Since then October 21 has been observed as ‘Police Commemoration Day’. On this day, we remember all police personnel who died while fighting for the country and pay tribute to them and extend compassion to their families.

Service: The duty of a policeman calls for a lot of work and energy. Unlike others, a policeman has to work 24 hours a day and without them, the society cannot live fearlessly and peacefully.

From big shots to common people, everybody needs a policeman’s help round the clock.

A policeman is the primary face of the government. If the military fightsagainst external factors, the police have to fight against internal factors and protect the society and the countrymen. They are the people who save properties from getting vandalized in the hands of others.

Keeping watch of things with a hawk’s eye and protecting society

AP Police Martyrs-2012

H

arikrishna was on duty when he was killed in a road accident on June 15, 2012. He is survived by parents and a sibling.

from anti-social elements is their responsibility. Maintaining law and order and brining criminals to book and teaching them discipline are part of their duties.

Police are sacrificing their livesin order to protect the country from internal anti-social elements and riots. The society wants policemen to be kind, disciplined and serveit 24 hours a day and that is what we exactly do.

Sacrifice: When the world sleeps, the policemenkeep awake.

An alert policeman is the one who takes care of the general public.

Defying hot summers, terrible downpours and chilling winters, a policeman tries to keep the law and

M Harikrishna Police Constable, Nellore

order in place. He is always ready to sacrifice his life for the security of the county and his countrymen.

It is our duty to be compassionate and give respect to the departed souls and their families. When compared to the deaths of military personal in protecting the country from foreign forces, the number of policeman dying while protecting the society and its people is three times high. And, unfortunately, they remain unsung heroes forever.

I pay homage to all my fellow policemen who lied down their lives to save the society from evil forces and extremists.

(The author is the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad)

Governor ESL Narasimhan, DGP Dinesh Reddy and other officers paying tributes to police martyrs

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Give police what they deserve By culture and attitudinal psyche, the policemen are trained to accept any responsibility without projecting their difficulties or lack of resources. It is inherent in their DNA E Damodar, IPS

H

e needs to be present everywhere in time of emergency, be it riot, mishap, burglary, murder, theft, traffic congestion, public meeting, and even a natural calamity. It is his duty to guard VIPs, offshore official guests and celebrities. He has to track down your missing child and free an abducted businessman. He has to do whatever you want him to. He is the policeman who is required to work 24/7 in times of need. Yet, he Unsung Heroes 2012

is a butt of joke for the members of the so-called civilized society.

It is easy for people to criticize a policeman without any iota of liability. The media and the movies work overtime to lampoon the police. Individuals and even Institutions manned by intellectuals compete with each other in casting aspersionson the police.

How many of us are aware of the whole gamut of activities and responsibilities the police are

required to discharge several times without any notice and without forty winks?

How many of us are aware that in comparison with other agencies embodying the sovereignty of the State, the police discharge their duties without adequate resources and rest?

How many of us are aware that failure of any system in our life (like family relations, land relations, even examinations, to name a few) are placing enormous

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loadon the shoulders of the policemen?

How many of us are aware that the complexity of modern life has unfathomably increased the quantum and quality of work on the police Department; and the increase in resources and manpower is grossly disproportionate?

How many of us are aware it is not just traffic and crime and VIP security alone; but police are engaged in internal security and deployed in ‘Forward Areas’ in the border?

Definitely answers to these queries are self-explanatory. Then how the police are able to deliver goods with success inspite of these constraints and limitations, sometimes at the cost of their lives?

Shri B.N. Mullick, the first Director of Intelligence Bureau, in his A PHILOSOPHY FOR THE POLICE, provides answers. By culture and attitudinal psyche, the policemen are trained to accept any responsibility without projecting their difficulties or lack of resources. It is inherent in their DNA. This is a complement and, at the same time, a curse to the police.

The observance of Police Martyrs Day itself is a solid example of this innate culture of Indian Police.

Every year,October 21 is celebrated in commemoration of the police personnel who were killed at Chinese Border. It is since re-christened as Police Martyrs Day. But the question fleeting through the minds of common man

Addl. DGP Gautam Sawang making a point to Home Minister and DGP

now must be: why policemen died at the border, why not the army men?

A cue to this is provided

by MrKuldipNayar, a renowned journalist in his autobiography titled BEYOND THE LINES (pages 101 to 103).

According to MrNayar a police official by name MrLakshman Singh was the first person in 1954 to inform New Delhi about the road that China was building in the Indian territory of Aksai Chin. He took the cover of a trader and mingled with the laborers and gathered this information. The Chinese captured an Indian patrol and tied its members to the tails of horses and dragged them along the road.

New Delhi lodged a protest which was rejected with contempt.

But the mindset of New Delhi was not to irritate but to improve

AP Police Martyrs-2012

P

rasad was on duty when he was killed in a road accident on June 23, 2012. He is survived by wife and two kids.

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S J Prasad Head Constable, Visakhapatnam

relations with China, particularly on the eve of visit of Chou-En-Lai to India. In the meanwhile, New Delhi, ordered establishment of 64 police check posts to register India’s presence on the border, notwithstanding protests by the then Home Secretary Jha that “these isolated posts with no support from the rear would fall like ninepins if there was a push from the Chinese side. We have unnecessarily exposed the policemen to death”.

He went on to say: “Frankly this is the job of army, but as it has refused to man the posts until full logistical support is provided, New Delhi has pushed the police”.

Dear readers, do you need a more significant example than this to reflect for a while before censuring the police, at least on this day of Police Martyrs?

Dear readers, is it unreasonable on the part of a policeman to expect from you what is due to him -- respect and resources-- while demanding of him what is due to you? Kindly pause and ponder.

(The author is Deputy Inspector General of Police, Andhra Pradesh)

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Traumas of traffic cops It is true that there is black sheep in the traffic wing, just like any other government department.

But how many of us are aware the kind of turmoil they undergo to make sure everyone on the road reaches home safe while risking their own health?

Palle Anjaneyulu

I

t is easy to nitpick. While honking to the maximum and struggling to get out of the traffic quagmire that is created by our own recklessness, we tend to cuss the cops. Yes, for an onlooker, a traffic policeman’s job appears to be easy. Some even think that he is raking in the moolah after collecting bribe from vehicle users.

But, sadly, the hard reality is the other way round. It’s

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a mammoth struggle for the entire day for an average traffic cop to regulate daily vehicular movements.

It is true that there is black sheep in the traffic wing, just like any other government department.

But how many of us are aware that traffic police personnel are sacrificing their health for the society?

Be it scorching summer, huge monsoon downpour or

shivering cold of winter, it is the traffic policeman who regulates traffic to ensure people reach their destinations safely.

In the process, traffic police are worst affected by the pollution.

Increasing number of vehicles emitting poisonous gases affect the lungs and other breathing systems while sound pollution affects the ears and UV Rays affect the eyes.

Also, traffic police will be affected by sunstroke, dehydration

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in summer, cold and viral fever during rainy and winter seasons.

All these problems collectively have a cascading effect on the health condition of the traffic police personnel.

Besides, grueling hours of work deprive them of social and personal life which again will have its ill effects on the future of their kids.

Apart from health problems, traffic police face several others pressures from influential people including politicians. They are not often allowed by the politicians to clear encroachments to ensure smooth flow of traffic while common people curse the traffic police for their inefficiency and alleged corrupt practices.

Another common problem faced by traffic police across the country is shortage of manpower.

Of the available manpower, majority would be either aged personnel or Home Guards, who are not physically capable of withstanding the long and tiresome hours of work.

Further, statistics show that there has been no end to assaults on traffic police personnel by unruly people. Also, several traffic police personnel are knocked down by speeding vehicles while on duty. Some traffic personnel are losing lives while on duty or due to health issues.

Sl.No. Year No. of assaults on traffic personnel No. of road accidents to traffic personnel No. of personnel

killed or died on duty or have died due to health issues 2010

39 11 5

2011

55 17 4

2012

28 12 3

(Up to Sept)

Yet the traffic personnel never shirk from their responsibility.

They come forward to take additional responsibilities such as special drive against drunk driving with the sole purpose of saving our lives from our own reckless driving and indiscipline.

According to Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Hyderabad, C V Anand, there are 10 major challenges.

1. Wrong Parking and parking place violation and conversion by business & commercial establishments leading to carriageway getting reduced.

2. Encroachments on footpaths, roads leaving no space for pedestrians who walk on the roads.

3.

Poor traffic infrastructure like signals, roads, signages, junctions etc. leading to lack of belief in traffic management system.

4. Bottlenecks – both natural and religious structures block big roads and cause congestion.

5. VIP movement is too frequent and they demand clearance causing disturbance to traffic

AP Police Martyrs-2012

S

rihari was travelling by train on duty when he met with an accident and lost his life on July 10, 2012. He is survived by wife and son.

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K Srihari Armed Reserve Constable, Khammam

management.

6. Road digging by government agencies and no restoration by them, leaving roads in an unmotorable state.

7. Political, religious and ritual processions etc. on roads lead to frequent traffic jams.

8.

Parking indiscipline of 3,500 RTC buses, 70,000 autos plying on the city roads causes huge traffic management issues and they are difficult to tackle due to the intervention of unions.

9. Lack of any budget to Traffic Department to take up traffic improvement measures.

10. Manpower shortage in Traffic Department. There is one traffic personnel for every 2,000 vehicles.

Majority of the personnel are Home Guards who are very poorly paid and inadequately trained for traffic duties. “We have requested the government to provide budget to look after the welfare and provide minimum equipment to function in these circumstances,� Anand said.

Currently, traffic personnel are provided with water bottles, nose masks, rain coats, rain shoes, glucose, reflective jackets, goggles and a kit bag to carry them, he said.

Traffic umbrellas were designed with a seat and installed them at 525 junctions so that the traffic cop can take some rest during lean hours instead of deserting the junction. Health camps are conducted every year and health Cards are prepared to monitor the health parameters of each and every traffic personnel, Anand said.

Let us pay attention to the sacrifices being made by the traffic personnel day in and day out and respect them which they deserve.

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Courage, thy name is Krishna Prasad He knew his service pistol was nothing in front of the sophisticated firearms of cold-blooded terrorists. Yet, he fought with valour, till he fell to the bullets sprayed from AK 56 Pandarinath Prabhala

I

t was November 29 morning in 1992 and colder days were just setting in. Additional Superintendent of Police Krishna Prasad was about to have breakfast when he received a phone call.

Despite being a diabetic, his priorities changed and he left home for office telling his wife that there was some important information and he must go.

At that point of time she was unaware of the grim fact that she would be seeing him for the last time in her life. Not knowing what was in store for her and her husband, she bid farewell to him and got back to domestic chores.

Around 2 pm she called up her husband on his office phone since there were no mobile phones those days. She enquired whether he had his food and diabetes medicine. Krishna Prasad said he did have both and was going out on an important assignment. He also told his wife that he might be late and asked she should not wait for him.

Based on the inputs given by two suspected terrorists nabbed a day before by the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Krishna Prasad rushed towards a hideout in Brindavan Colony in Tolichowki area, where some more terrorists from Kashmir were taking shelter.

The ASP asked his team Unsung Heroes 2012

to stay away and watch out the suspected terrorists in their custody, who were brought along with them to identify the hideout. He, along with his gunman Venkateswar Rao, walked towards the terrorists’ hideout and knocked at the door.

In the meantime, the terrorists noticed police personnel in plain clothes after spotting their associates rounded by the police personnel. In a bid to hoodwink the cops, they sent their female associates to open the door. The female associates tried to prevent Krishna Prasad and his gunman from entering the house, in an apparent move to give their male associates load their automatic rifle.

In the melee, the terrorists opened fire and head constable Venkateswar Rao was the first to receive the bullet wounds. He bravely confronted the bullets, falling down dead, sacrificing his

life in the line of duty. Krishna Prasad retaliated the fire with his service pistol. The women associates too suffered bullet wounds and rushed out of the house raising false alarm.

Krishna Prasad did not turn back. Like a courageous soldier, he stepped inside the house only to find terrorists armed with lethal AK56 rifles. The terrorists opened fire blindly and the short weapon could not help Krishna Prasad in any manner. While fighting the terrorists, he too fell to the bullets.

Other police personnel waiting outside rushed in for help and found the ASP and head constable in a pool of blood. They rushed both of them to Osmania General Hospital where they were declared brought dead.

However, his sacrifice did not go in vain. The female associates of the terrorists, who also came to Osmania Hospital for treatment, were nabbed and the entire module was busted. During subsequent years, the terrorists who killed Krishna Prasad and his gunman were killed in exchange of fire with security personnel in Kashmir.

Even today, police personnel draw inspiration from the sacrifices made by Krishna Prasad and Venkateswar Rao and rededicate themselves in the fight against terrorism.

(As narrated by wife of late Krishna Prasad)

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Vyas IPS, the brain behind Grayhounds P Akash

H

is name sent shivers down the spines of Naxalites for it was K S Vyas, who founded the elite Greyhounds, foreseeing the internal security threat the extremists could pose to the society.

Though he was on the top of the militants’ hit list, Vyas never confined himself to the protected corridors. A fearless officer he was, Vyas used to go for jogging along with his wife Aruna Vyas in LB Stadium every evening.

The Naxalites, who considered him their bitter enemy, studied his routine and planned their assault. The ill-fated day was January 27, 1993. Dressed in a track suit, Vyas was jogging along with his wife while the security personnel were waiting at their designated place.

It was around 6:.30 pm when about six persons came close to Vyas, surrounded him and opened fire from very close range. The extremists hurled a bomb while fleeing and used the commotion as a cover for safe escape.

Vyas was rushed to Osmania General Hospital where he was declared dead. Credited with setting up of the elite Greyhounds and Special Investigation Branch (SIB) that provided intelligence support for the operations wing, Vyas became a synonym for the ‘Andhra Model’ of flushing out the Naxalites.

Today, Andhra Model is Unsung Heroes 2012

so popular not only in India but also across the world that police personnel from neighbouring states and countries undergo training in combating terrorism.

Police academies have

been organizing Vyas Memorial Lecture as a mark of respect to the foresighted and courageous officer, while the government named Greyhounds training academy as Vyas Nagar.

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A chivalrous cop who lives for ever Umesh Chandra was not just a brave, sincere police officer who fell to extremists’ bullets, he was also a great leader, humanitarian and a wonderful human being

Suraj K Bharadwaj

H

e was an exemplary police officer who lived and died for the society. He dedicated all his life for serving people, getting them justice and putting wrongdoers behind the bars until some unscrupulous elements sprayed bullets on him indiscriminately, killing him on the spot in broad daylight at a busy intersection in the city.

He was Umesh Chandra IPS, the embodiment of courage and quintessence of sincerity. He was a great leader, effective manager, humanitarian and karma yogi – all rolled into one, making him one of his kind. Being an excellent frontrunner, Umesh Chandra knew the pulse of people. He knew their aspirations, problems as well as troubles and helped them sustain in the web of human life. Being a visionary, he formulated the methods and modes to transform the quality of their life as well as surroundings.

A topnotch police officer that he was, Umesh Chandra founded Warangal Police Jagruthi Brundam to infuse great ideas and ideals to rouse the common people and dissuade the rebelling left wing extremists from the wrong path and lead them to the right. He rendered yeoman’s service to encourage extremists to join the mainstream of civil life. During his service in Kadapa, he addressed household problems of cops by laying roads,

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giving water connections and electric connections in the housing colony of police.

His humanitarian outlook was ostensible when he organized flood relief operations in Kadapa district. His crisis management skill came handy for thousands of flood affected people during the emergency. His activity also reflects how deeply Umesh felt for the distressed and the afflicted in times of disaster. No NGO nor any government department could extend such a huge support and relief to the people as done by the police under the expert supervision

of Umesh Chandra.

Umeshchandra worked day and night to ward off extremist menace in the areas he worked as a sincere police officer. The operations conducted during his tenure are unexcelled till date.

They helped curb the growing menace of left wing extremism in Karimnagar district.

Without the mention of the kind of loyalty extended to him by his subordinates, the portrayal of Umesh Chandra’s character will not be complete. This proves that the daring police officer was an outstanding leader and manager of superior and excellent standards.

While serving the people as a responsible police officer, Umesh Chandra always went by the rulebook. Without deviating from the law even a bit, he served the people throughout his stint as an honest officer till his last breath.

This made him a bold and unique police officer. His qualities as karma yogi made him immortal and secured him a position among the unforgotten heroes of our history. Umesh Chandra will be remembered as a real life hero for the generations to come and contemporaries will keep fond memories till their end.

Salutes to the great officer who lived and laid down his life for the people!

(The author is a senior journalist)

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A brave cop who embraced death With many of us either badly injured or killed, everybody was in a state of shock. It was a gory scene with police personnel lying injured as some of them lost their limbs, some including SP Paradesi Naidu lost their lives and everybody was bleeding. It was horrifying bloodshed K.V. Ramesh Reddy

It was a star-crossed day way back in November 13, 1993, when the terrible thing happened. I still remember vividly the day when we police personnel were attacked by Naxalites and how we fought back even as some of our colleagues were either dying or reeling in utter pain after their bodies were ripped apart after a huge explosion.

I was the Sub-Inspector of Pedda Kothapalli police station in Mahbubnagar district.

As usual, I was listening to the instructions relayed by the District Superintendent of Police late Paradesi Naidu over my VHF set, oblivious of the horror in waiting for us in another few hours.

The time was around 9.30 am. He was speaking to Kolhapur Sub-Inspector Siva Prasad. The SI was explaining the SP about the destruction carried out by Naxalites in Somasila village, under his police station limits.

Somasila is a village abutting the Nallamala forest along the Krishna river. Naxalites blew up a forest guesthouse and torched an RTC bus which halted in the village at night. Siva Prasad was informing the SP over VHF set that he along with the Circle Inspector and police personnel had visited the crime scene and just returned, while the valiant CI had gone into Unsung Heroes 2012

forest for combing operation.

The SP directed Siva Prasad to mobilise all the personnel from the nearby police stations and assemble them at Kolhapur police station. As soon as I heard

the instructions, I sprang into action, took the available staff and reached Kolhapur around 12 noon.

Personnel from nearby police stations also reached Kolhapur by then. In the meantime, Mr Paradesi

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Acknowledgement We express our heartfelt gratitude to all those persons, particularly to Mr K Raja Sikhamani, Asst. Director, APPA and Mr Maddipati Srinivas, ACP, Hyderabad Police for their valuable support for our maiden project ‘Unsung Heroes’.

We thank Dr Bhaskar Reddy garu, for his sincere support for this project.

We thank all those police officers – both serving and retired – who have extended their support and encouraged us in this endeavour.

We thank the advertisers for their support in bringing out this special issue. Our special thanks to Sri Charana Communications.

We thank several other individuals particularly Chakkilam Raghunatha Rao, Director, Prerana Events and Services Private Limited, for their support.

We also thank Mr Ch Seshagiri Rao, Mr V Srikanth and others who have extended their support by owning up various tasks in executing the project.

We thank all those officials, journalist friends and others without whose support this project would not have been a reality.

We look forward for same kind of support in future.

Pandarinath Prabhala

RTC bus blown up by Maoists (file photo)

Naidu also arrived at Kolhapur and reviewed the incident.

The SP then insisted on visiting the crime scene saying it would boost the morale of the field staff. A private bus was hired and all of us including the SP reached Somasila. The SP personally inspected the crime scene and spoke to the villagers. He appealed to them not to extend cooperation to Naxalites and not to give shelter to them. After about an hour, we started back to Kolhapur.

Somasila is surrounded by hillocks and thick forest. There was only one access road to the village.

The village was strategically located for the advantage of the Naxalites. Though everyone of us knew that it was not safe to return in the same bus and by the same route, we started our journey since we had no other option for immediate return.

We had travelled only about 1.5 kms when we heard a deafening sound of explosion.

Before we knew what happened, the bus was blown off and it went up in the air coming in contact with high tension wires that passed over Unsung Heroes 2012

the road. It was just huge mayhem when it resulted in short circuit.

Yes, the naxalites triggered a powerful landmine beneath the bus we were travelling in. With many of us either badly injured or killed, everybody was in a state of shock.

It was a gory scene with police personnel lying injured as some of them lost their limbs, some lost their lives and everybody was bleeding. It was horrifying bloodshed.

Even before we could regroup, the Naxalites opened fire at us. Amidst firing the Naxalites warned us to surrender and hand over our weapons to them.

However, the SP was courageous.

Even while he was lying helpless, losing both his limbs, the SP was instilling confidence among those who could handle weapons. He encouraged us to fight back. And we did. We retaliated the fire for about two hours and prevented the Naxalites coming towards us.

In the meantime, the profusely bleeding SP needed some water to drink. He sought water, but as fate had it, none of us could help him in that pathetic situation. And the

worst thing happened. He lost his life.

I too lost my right leg in the incident and I was not in a position to work in police department anymore. I got myself transferred to Stamps and Registration Department and presently working as Azampura Sub-Registrar.

Late Paradesi Naidu is still alive in my memories though he laid down his life in the line of duty. He sacrificed his life with courage inspiring innumerable police personnel and stood tall in the eyes of police personnel.

Even today my eyes get wet and I feel that inexplicable lump in the throat whenever I think of him. He was a a gallant and sincere officer who fought till his last breath and encouraged others to fight back.

I still remember his smiling face which gives inspiration to rededicate oneself with utmost sincerity for the cause of the society and the nation.

I pay my tributes to Paradesi Naidu and all other personnel killed on that fateful day and also other police personnel who laid their lives in the line of duty.

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