Encounters & the blame game

A political storm broke out after the killing of the most dreaded criminal and former MP, Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad in Uttar Pradesh. He belongs to the Samajwadi Party, which is accused of patronizing and allowing the gangsters to flourish to protect their ‘vote bank’ politics. Asad, who was asked to surrender by the police, was at large, till he was killed in an alleged encounter. Asad wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, was gunned down by Uttar Pradesh police in an encounter in Jhansi last Thursday. His co-accused Ghulam too was shot dead. Both Asad and Ghulam had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on their heads.
Asad Ahmed had been captured by a CCTV camera during the attack on Pal and was on the run since. If one has to believe the police,Ghulam opened fire at a team of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force around noon on Thursday and the two were killed in retaliatory action. The STF sleuths reportedly recovered sophisticated weapons, new cellphones, and SIM cards from them. Umesh Pal, a lawyer, was a witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal. On February 24, he was shot dead in a broad daylight attack outside his home in Prayagraj. The security personnel guarding him were also killed. Shocking visuals of the attack prompted questions on Uttar Pradesh’s law and order situation and the government came under strong criticism from the Opposition. Umesh Pal’s murder also put the spotlight back on Atiq Ahmed, a gangster-turned-politician with over 100 cases against him. A former Samajwadi Party MP, he was convicted last month in a kidnapping case and sentenced to life imprisonment. This case is related to the kidnapping of Umesh Pal back in 2006 – 17 years before he was eventually murdered.
Against that backdrop, the SP or his allies in the Opposition, including the TRS crying foul, to me finds it unjustified. Being in the state police as a CPRO, I feel, quite often the police are being caught on the wrong foot and blamed, though they discharge their duties in utmost trying conditions. Yet, I would like to reiterate my opening statement that all encounters may not be genuine and in the past, the then AP High Court, indeed has chided the state police, while dealing with the left-wing extremists.
Entertaining the petitions filed by the outlawed left-wing’s frontal organizations under the garb of champions of civil liberties, who used to go mute whenever the cops were killed, but make hue and cry only when the underground activists were neutralised, was also successfully thwarted by the state police. Yes, today, both the Telugu states would not have been happy and seen progress, had the police during the tenure of high-profile police chief Swaranjit Sen’s tenure, the left-wing extremism was totally wiped out from the state in just two years. A State cadre officer-turned-IPS officer, Sen was not only tough, but used to go by rule book, on many occasions.
Of course, he was ably assisted by equal professionals like Aravinda Rao who headed the intelligence and Greyhounds (a special force created to tackle the Naxal menace was created by another high profile cop. KS Vyas). Apart from these few cops I mentioned, several other hardcore professionals like R P Meena or Dr. D T Naik, or VivekDube, to name a few whom I remember covering the naxal operations closely as a journalist working for a leading city daily, or later with the department from 2002 to 2004, I can vouch for by and large operations are genuine as the police were challenged. And, for the success story, none can dare deny the unstinted support extended by then most popular and ‘darling of masses’, Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.
I also vividly remember, even the political bosses then coming under pressure from the Opposition criticism, questioning their police officers. And, I feel proud of SwaranjitSen, who bravely even encountered the Opposition and media criticism, besides convincing his political bosses, not to stop the pressure his men created on the left-wing extremists and derail. Sen was also witty and sarcastic sometimes while facing probing questions from some crime-beat journos. Once they asked, what he meant by combing. Senpulls out a comb from his pocket and starts combing his hair, indicating that’s what he meant, to the surprise of journalists and that became viral even in social media, which though was in a primitive stage.Perhaps, he was the only dare-devil police chief who could answer even questions on encounters that took place during his tenure. “Would you like my men to be sitting ducks when the enemy (meaning the armed naxals) open fire?” was his counter not only to the media personnel, but also to his political bosses. The reason behind my revelations of the success story of the then undivided state was due to the ‘political commitment of that day’ as well as the faith reposed in the state police.’ Precisely, that is whatis happening in Uttar Pradesh, where the law and order were worst and gangsters ruled the roost, thanks to the successive governments under the Samajwadi Party as well as the BahujanSamaj Party (BSP). According to the available statistics, in the last six years (that is ever since Yogi Adityanath took over the reins) more than 10,000 encounters with criminals took place in the state.
Before that, under the regimes of the SP and BSP, the country’s biggest state wasknown for being lawless. During that time dreaded criminals like PrakashShukla, who allegedly could be active, and indulge in more than 40 incidents such as murder, attempted murder, and extortion. He was a notorious crook in the 1990s. The gangster was also in possession of an AK 47 assault riflewhich was used by his accomplice MunnaBajrangi. And, the worst affected city in Uttar Pradesh is Meerut. It tops the list of cities reporting the maximum number of crimes in the state. Around 51 cases of dacoity were from Meerut against the total of 136 reported from other cities like Lucknow, Agra, and Kanpur, according to official figures.
Knowing the definition of an encounter, neither the Opposition nor the civil liberties activists should put their hands on their chest, and say what if someone tries to come and make an attempt to assault them? Will they not resist putting up some resistance and even their supporter present around can do harm to the attackers? In more simple terms, what does a human do when he encounters (come across) a snake or mad dog menacing coming towards him or her? These questions may sound childish but are as simple as that of our security forces or law-enforcing police do encounter in their day-in and day-out. Haven’t we seen arrogant politicians assaulting helpless cops or hurling abuses at them? Hence, lawlessness and development cannot go hand-in-glove. All law-abiding citizens should not undermine the genuine actions of the uniformed police – whether the city police or the security forces guarding our borders. Ironically, we do have Opposition parties who even called the Indian army names whenever they deal decisively against those who abet terrorism in border states. That’s the agony our forces had to undergo under the garb of ‘free speech’ and ‘human rights’ which I feel absurd. I care adamn even if people call me names too. (The views expressed by the author are his personal and not reflected bythe newspaper)