Gill chides government for new law

New Delhi: Former Director General of Punjab Police, K.P.S. Gill is a common man's hero.

He is known for his success in rooting out militancy from the Indian state of Punjab in the early 1990s.

Having begun his career as a police officer in the north-eastern state of Assam, Gill quickly earned a reputation of a tough and vigilant officer.

Widely praised as a one-man army and dreaded by criminals across the country, he chides the government for the newly introduced law on terrorism.

Gill says, "The people are being beguiled by this new law. Both the new law and the setting up of a National Investigating Agency (NIA) do not apply to the terrorists being trained in Pakistan."

"The problem is in Pakistan. But we are finding answers to it here in India! In any case, the terrorist caught in the recent Mumbai attack will be tried under the current laws. He will either be incarcerated or hanged. Or he may even go scot free! The new laws will also carry these three options. So, what's new? The point is any law should be strong and implemented effectively," he says.

Gulf News spoke to the super cop known for his tough approach.

Statistics reveal that there are more than 15,000 police personnel deployed to protect 400 VIPs - almost 38 men per VIP. Whereas there is just one baton-wielding cop for every 1,000 common people.

K.P.S. GILL: A lot is being talked about raising the number of police personnel. But that does not assure protection. Both VIPs and the common man can be provided protection at the same time. What we lack is not the number of people, but training, anticipatory planning and rehearsals. My experience in Punjab made me mould the training methods. Earlier, despite providing security to the VIPs, they were killed in the attacks, so also were their security guards. That brought forth the point that if a security man was not able to shield himself, how could he protect the VIP?

You have stated in an interview 'I still have enough drive left in me to counter terrorism'. Where do you fit in, in the government's scheme of things?

That is for the government to answer. On my part, I criticise what is being done on the terrorist front and bother them with critical appraisal. And on theirs, it will be a loss of dignity if they approach people like me to help out. There could be some political considerations for not contacting me. Today, the selection process of officers is not based on efficiency. It is based on political loyalty, sycophancy, bribery and corruption.

You termed the commando operation in the Mumbai attacks as a 'weak strategy and poor implementation' on the part of the National Security Guards (NSG) which prolonged the mayhem, resulting in loss of lives.

They were working in an environment totally unfamiliar to them. They may have been trained to tackle hijackers of a plane, but had no training to deal with a situation in a five-star hotel. An unfamiliar environment imposes its own imperatives which then cloud the vision.

After the Akshardham Temple operation in Gujarat, it has come to the fore that for every difficult operation the NSG is summoned. This should not become the norm. A section of the Mumbai Police should have been trained in all this. You have a police force of a certain nature.

So, one has to work within those parameters and increase the efficiency level to a point that they are more proficient than the terrorists. And it is not a difficult task. And I am rather shocked and surprised by the operation.

After Operation Black Thunder in Punjab, we never used NSG commandos in Punjab, except once or twice to test their abilities in those conditions. Otherwise, throughout it were the Punjab Police, the Central Reserve Police Force and the Border Security Force that handled it all.

If you were in the thick of things during the Mumbai attack, what would have been your planning for the counter-attack?

I would order attack on all the floors simultaneously and not one by one. It could have been done and should have been done with 8-10 commandos for each floor.

Suppressing militancy in Punjab could be termed as one of the rarest examples of success despite all odds. What was your strategy there?

I had totally recast the training of the policemen. For every situation you need a different strategy and that comes from assessment of the place and environment.

While tackling the issue of terrorism in Punjab, we were simultaneously educating people through discussions and interactions. Motivation, plus weaponry and training was supplied to the security men. So the confidence level of the cops was also high and they felt they had ample protection.

The security business is booming after the Mumbai attacks. People, who can afford it, are buying hi-tech security equipment, and some are also employing security personnel. But how can a common man feel secure?

Who is bothered about the common man? When we had made the common man feel secure in Punjab and it became one of the most peaceful states of the country, there were people who did not like it. They deliberately attacked the Punjab Police constantly and unfairly. And that is the reason these terrorist attacks are still on in other parts of the country.

Who are the 'people' you are referring to?

There were people in the administration and political parties. Even when I spent a few months in Gujarat when the state was in turmoil, I found that there was use of firearms on the mobs. People would get killed and tension would escalate.

So, I wanted no lethal weapons to be used on the mobs. I called for a few companies of the Punjab Police to be sent to Gujarat, because I had trained them. But during that time a very senior Congress Party leader called me up from Delhi and said that there were rumours that people from the minority community were being rounded up and beaten. I was amazed to hear what that buffoon was talking.

This is how these politicians like the country to be unstable. Because if there is peace in the country, people will start emphasising on development works. But now the leaders are free of that task and the entire focus has been turned on terrorism.

There is a lack of quality equipment provided to the security personnel for their own security. Who is the deciding authority?

It is the prerogative of the respective state governments. When I was in Punjab, we had set up our own unit and manufactured bullet proof vehicles. And my best moment was when one day I noticed the Army going somewhere on a peace mission and they loaded up the bullet proof Gypsies. Then we manufactured bullet proof tractors to go into the sugarcane fields, which totally destroyed the sugarcane insurgency. Similar examples can be set up by the states.

What are the ways of tackling terrorism in this age? Are metal detectors installed at strategic points a feasible answer to security measures?

We should have a vast reservoir of computer engineers and get information of everyone coming into the country. After all, large scale operations are what computers are meant for. Instead of later having to calculate the losses, as is being done after the Mumbai attacks, we should hire the best engineers and pay them handsomely. And every three years they should be replaced by a new team that can keep abreast of times. Metal detectors are passe. They are an old technology because bombs are now being made out of totally non-metallic material.

How hopeful are you that terrorism will be curbed in India?

Not very. Instantaneous results are not always possible. As regards Pakistan, we are in for a long haul.

Biography

- K.P.S. Gill is an officer of the Indian Police Service (Batch of 1957) from the Assam cadre.

- He tackled terrorism and political turbulence during his career in India's troubled north-east.

- It spanned the period of the AGP-ULFA movement during the early 1980s.

- He led the war against terrorism in Punjab during his tenure as Director General of Police.

- It was under his direction that the movement for Khalistan was finally defeated.

- Served as Director General, Central Reserve Police Force.

- Served as Inspector General, Border Security Force.

- Inspector General of Police, Meghalaya.

- Former member of the National Security Advisory Board.

- Former President of the Indian Hockey Federation.