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Veerappan
practised Mao’s guerilla tactics
MEA awaits
Pak nod to 25 proposals |
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Nanavati
panel seeks extension Ex-Army
Chiefs support new command Indo-Pak diplomatic games over, says Pak envoy
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Veerappan practised Mao’s guerilla tactics One
of the most sought after police officers today is K. Vijay Kumar, the chief of the Special Task Force (STF) of Tamil Nadu Police, which gunned down forest brigand Veerappan in an encounter on Monday night. The sandalwood smuggler had been evading the security forces over the last two decades and what many other police officers could not achieve Vijay Kumar did. The 51-year-old IPS who had always been fascinated by uniform chose join the Indian Police Service in 1975 though he was selected for the higher Indian Administrative Service. Though Veerappan is dead and his “core group wiped out”, Vijay Kumar believes his and the STF’s job is yet to be over. The brigand not only had a huge network but also people who benefitted through him. Veerappan in turn kept his funds in those “safe hands”. Now that their “money source’ is dead, they would certainly try to prop a stronger, smarter and more dangerous Veerappan. Talking to The Tribune Vijay Kumar explained the future role of the STF and how he trapped the brigand. He said, “The job of the STF now is to ensure that another Veerappan does not emerge. That is the job of the STF now. We have to ensure that such a thing doesn’t happen. We have to handle this carefully, scientifically. I fully agree with you that there might be some vested interests eager to prop another demon. The government is considering various options to prevent another demon from emerging. The Chief Minister sought my views on this. Our job is not yet over. Shortly, after we settle down, we will have to go back to the drawing board. Now we have a good intelligence network and we will be able to know of any newcomer using the readymade, ploughed turf, in advance. But we will have to be very careful now. The decision as to how to go about it will have to be taken at the highest level in the government. The need for another gangster to emerge exists in the shadowy world of smugglers and black marketers.” The six-feet tall and wiry officer further explained: “The next Veerappan may not have a big moustache. He or they might assume a different and more sophisticated form. A local ‘dada’ could be waiting out there. We have learnt our lessons. The STF in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have understood how to work together. And we have succeeded. But our work has just begun. Now we will have to identify Veerappan’s peripheral network and break its back. The STF has a long and difficult task ahead. There is absolutely no room for any complacency.” This was Vijay Kumar’s second stint as STF chief and he elaborated on how and why he succeeded in his goal this time: “This time, our intelligence officers were more focused. Earlier, it was more occupation oriented, and rightly so. The emphasis was on the rate of success. It was more result oriented. I improved the infrastructure. I strengthened what was already available. The assets of intelligence are generally two - technological and human intelligence. Whatever we needed by way of technology was immediately made available to us. There was no red tape, no stumbling blocks. We required secret service funds. That was arranged without a moment’s delay. That gave us the first momentum. We just took off from there. I cannot describe what technology was involved, but I can reveal that the entire spectrum was explored and was made available to us. And I had a brilliant intelligence man next to me. He was the pivot of our operations. [Superintendent of Police] Senthamarai Kannan. I utilised his acumen fully. If what I did last time [when I was the STF chief] was 80 per cent, this time it was 150 per cent. We formed very secret kind of cells. We formed secret cells in the jails, among the remand prisoners. That is something normal. But this time, the penetration was much deeper. Everywhere we had human intelligence. That was the difference and it gave us a good start. But it was not easy going all the time. A couple of times, our assets were burnt - or botched in common man’s language. All the time we were operating on several levels. It was obvious to us that only one lead would click. But there was no way of knowing which one that would be.” Talking about the STF’s failures he said: “Many things can go wrong in such a project. Suddenly there would be a leak, due to unwitting reasons. Sometimes it was subterfuge. Other times it was due to over enthusiasm. Sources would overlap, get crossed, exposed. Sometimes, what we thought were good sources betrayed us. There were a few double agents.” “Double agents in international espionage are a big thing. Here it is on a very small scale. For example, we would be under the impression that we have a vital lead from his gang. He would actually be leading us astray. We would be presuming that he is our asset, but he would have been a Veerappan plant. Such things were in plenty. Slowly we saw through the game, and turned double agents into triple agents. Double agents from the enemy’s side were turned, and turned against him. For mathematical convenience let me say, if there were 10 double agents, we would chose two of the weakest and turn them. We used them for disinformation, and the enemy didn’t know that his assets were working against him. We played it by the ear, paid him back in the same way and he played with us. It is intelligence, dirty tricks, but from our point of view, ethical and which suited our cause. It was all directed in the general direction of our operation, and never against individuals, except the enemy.” Vijay Kumar had learnt a lot while he was IG, BSF, in Kashmir only a few years ago. Asked how he succeeded when the BSF had failed in nabbing Veerappan, he said: “Jungle warfare is tricky. It is not easy for a force like BSF to adapt to conditions that are not meant for them. A jungle is a double edged sword. It can work for you and it can equally work for the enemy. Results depend on who is better at tactics. Basically, it means domination of the terrain. Terrain domination means, you establish control over an area and ensure that the enemy doesn’t get the better of you. It meant physically and psychologically dominating the terrain. Veerappan had established both, for a long time. Though he was not physically holding the terrain, he was dominating the minds of the people over there. The public in that belt was under the impression that the law of the land was not prevailing in that area. For the last two years, we worked hard at breaking that impression. Slowly we broke that syndrome. We were subtly trying to convey to the people that he is not all that powerful. But it so happened that he managed to brainwash the people into thinking that he was all powerful with some caper or another, every year, and went into hibernation. This was his strength. So jungle warfare didn’t pay the kind of dividends one expected. In any kind of guerilla warfare - whether it is a one man force or a hundred - man army, the tactics are the same. The enemy emerges at his convenience and disappears at his convenience. They strike, and retreat. That was Mao Ze Dong’s philosophy. He said, ‘when the enemy advances, you retreat. And when they retreat, you attack.’ Veerappan may not have heard about Mao, but he knew the tactics. The problem was he would do something and totally disappear for six to eight months. He had an elaborate arrangement for his food, money, and all other needs.” |
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MEA awaits Pak nod to 25 proposals New Delhi, October 23 Authoritative sources told The Tribune that the Ministry of External Affairs had taken up in past fortnight 25 matters with Pakistan for their implementation after Foreign Secretary-level talks from September 4 to 6. However, there has been no response till today from Islamabad on these matters. On October 8, the MEA had sent a proposal to hold technical level talks with Pakistan on starting a bus service on specific occasions between Amritsar and religious places in and around Lahore, such as Nankana Sahib. Significantly, on October 7, India had proposed a meeting between the CBI and the Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA) of Pakistan to discuss issues related to trans-border crimes, such as financial flows and cyber crimes and sought confirmation of dates through diplomatic channels. On September 28, the MEA had sought a response on India's proposal for starting group tours by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). The DTC had written to the PTDC on three occasions. It was also agreed to in the joint statement on September 8, 2004, that efforts would be made to promote group tourism. The MEA had sent a communication to Pakistan on September 23 wherein it informed of Archaeological Survey of India's willingness to extend assistance for repair and maintenance of Jehangir's tomb in Lahore, and requested for a sample of the stone used in the tomb. The MEA had sent a note verbale to Pakistan on September 22 on a number of pending proposals and said a confirmation through a note verbale would constitute an agreement. This pertained to the following: * The existing protocol of 1974 be amended to include more shrines in both countries. * The size of the pilgrim group could also be increased (from 3,000 to 5,000 on the occasions of Baisakhi and birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev; from 1,000 to 2,000 on the occasion of martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev; from 500 to 1,000 on the occasion of death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. * Facilitating a visit of an SGPC team to study religious literature lying in National libraries and universities of Lahore and Islamabad. * Grant of transit facilities to each other's goods on a reciprocal basis. * Two sides could consider opening of Attari-Wagah land route for trade. * Allow multiple airlines for operations of the scheduled services on a reciprocal basis. * Allowing the designated carriers of Pakistan seeking to have air connectivity with India operating seven flights a week to one international airport and then seven more flights to a second international airport, on a reciprocal basis. |
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Nanavati
panel seeks extension New Delhi, October 23 The one-man Commission, headed by Justice G.T. Nanavati, has written to the Centre for extending its term by two months to enable it to submit its report to the government. The present extended term of the Commission, set up by the previous NDA government on the demand of the SGPC, Shiromani Akali Dal and other Sikh organisations will come to an end on November 2. The panel, which had completed its proceedings on September 4, is currently watering down the facts as had come before it during its four-year-long investigation based on evidences placed on record, sources said. The Commission was set up in May 2000 after the Sikh organisations and civil rights bodies had stated that the earlier inquiry by Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission into the carnage had failed to probe the riots, in which nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi within three days of Indira Gandhi's assasination on October 31, 1984. The Commission had examined 200 witnesses among the victims, VIPs, including the then Congress ministers responsible for maintaining law and order, top ranking Delhi Police officials, many of whom had since retired following the filing of hundreds of affidavits, levelling charges against them. Among the important witnesses examined by the Commission are: former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who was Home Minister in 1984, the then Delhi Lt Governor P.G. Gavai, Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, H.K.L. Bhagat (against whom there were allegations of inciting mobs against Sikhs), other Congressmen like Vasant Sathe and Kamal Nath. Of the top former and present police officiers called as witnesses by the Commission included former Delhi Police Commissioners S.C. Tandon and Nikhil Kumar, and other officers who held important positions in the Capital's police force at that time. |
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Ex-Army Chiefs support new command
New Delhi, October 23 On the second day of their first ever conclave here they supported the Army's move for re-adjustment of troop deployment in the state and felt that a new South Western command should take away the burden of policing from the hard pressed Northern command. According to the new plan mooted by the Army, Nagrota-based 16 Corps would be divested of policing of the border with Pakistan. The Combined Services Commanders' meeting, which begins here on Monday, is expected to give the final shape to the re-adjustment of troops in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Army held a parade at the Nicholson range for its two living legends - Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw and Marshal of the Air Force Arjun Singh. At the parade the horsemen from the Army's only mounted regiment — the 61st Cavalry — and the President's bodyguards gave an exciting display of musical riding. The mounted parade was followed by a display of parajumping and sky-diving.
— PTI |
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Indo-Pak diplomatic games over, says Pak envoy
New Delhi, October 23 “There is an understanding, a feeling on both sides that diplomatic games will not pay and that we need to work sincerely towards finding a solution to the Kashmir issue,” he said in his speech as chief guest at a talk on Indo-Pak relations by foreign policy expert V.P. Vaidik. “The denial mode over Kashmir being an issue or not is over and both countries realise that it has to be solved with sincerity,” the Pakistani envoy said. He noted that the “change in atmosphere” began with the historic statement signed between India and Pakistan on January 6, 2004, during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Islamabad, adding that it was being carried on. “I have been in India for 15 months now, and from personal experience I can tell you that people here are eager for a solution to the Kashmir issue,” he
said. — PTI
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BJP, VHP hold talks on
Ayodhya New Delhi, October 23 The meeting at former Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi’s residence was attended, among others, by VHP supremo Ashok Singhal, former Uttar Pradesh BJP President Vinay Katiyar, VHP leaders Champat Rai and Sadhvi Rithambhara.
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