Mr. K.P.S. Gill who could successfully bring peace to the state of Punjab during his tenure as the D.G.P. of Punjab Police, and who was appointed Chief Minister’s adviser on Naxal problem has expressed his displeasure on the whole idea of operation green hunt, an operation by the central government along with Naxal violence hit states aimed at wiping out the Naxal menace. Follow the link to read the full text:
http://www.tehelka.comstory_main43.asp?filename=Ne241009coverstory.asp
In his interview, Mr. Gill has made some interesting remarks on the willingness and the ability of the leadership in Chhattisgarh to tackle the Naxal problem. Here are some excerpts:
Question: Instead, you have Operation Green Hunt. Can you elaborate why you think its ridiculous?
Gill: You see, there are different responses to Naxalism. One of them is the Andhra response. The Andhra response has been a mix of development and law and order. Although their development model is not what it should be, the law and order response has been very good and has continued for a number of years. They built up a force and did not have troops parachuted in. The Andhra DGP used to visit us in Punjab to understand what we were doing – our tactics and strategy. In contrast, Chhattisgarh has no response whatsoever. I was there for one year as an advisor and after three or four days, Chief Minister Raman Singh told me to relax and enjoy my stay…………
………….I wanted to strengthen the police station. The first responder is always the police station. Now, if the first respondent is weak and doesn’t have the manpower or the equipment, how is he going to respond? I remember calling for a meeting in Chhattisgarh — not in the HQ but in the interiors — and many officers came in civvies and in unmarked vehicles. They were trying to pass off as civilians. This is not a response that is going to raise the confidence of the people. Policemen can only die in such a situation…..
…… I have always maintained that corruption and operations against organisations of this nature cannot go together. An honest response is critical. I know what the police officer in charge of Bastar was doing. He was taking Rs 35,000 per man to transfer them out of Bastar. This was in the knowledge of everyone. And do you know who transfers constables? The state secretariat does. The chief minister would say he was taking the advice of the sub-inspectors on how to tackle the Naxalites. I am sorry, but the state and its leadership do not have the required mental calibre or an intellectual grasp of the ground situation. Everyone is telling lies from the ground level up. It is for the commander responsible to assess the situation on a daily basis.
Question: Why did Chief Minister Raman Singh ask you to relax after a few days, having invited you to be his advisor?
Gill: Violence doesn’t touch Raipur. It touches the tribals and the security forces. I think the state government lacked the political will.
What did Mr. Gill and the government of Chhattisgarh achieve during his one year period as adviser, is still a mystery to a common man in Chhattisgarh.
