MASH ON MERCILESS
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| Khaleem Khan, father of Amjed Khan with his photo |
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| (Sorry my brother Kishun Kujur. I couldn't get your photo.) |
My salute to both of you
I seek to espouse the title of this post, as a catchphrase which I’ve singled out intentionally while considering the perpetual cannibalistic approach of Maoists in abducting and killing innocent policemen in the line of duty. Series of incidents occurred against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha recently shows how Maoists ridiculing and desecrating the very essence of humanity by unleashing relentless brutality. The latest information is that an Asst sub inspector, Kruparam Majhi, of Odisha police has been shot dead soon after his abduction in Nuapada district of Odisha, yesterday. He was travelling in a motorbike when he was attacked and abducted by ten armed naxals in broad day light. His body was found in a nearby forest two hours later.
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| Sukhma collector Alex Paul Menon |
Another high profile abduction of Sukhma collector Alex Paul Menon on April 21st from Manjhipara village of Sukhma district, which set the whole country on tenterhooks for almost a fortnight, has ended on a happy note when he was released by Maoists on Thursday night. As soon as news papers flashed this news, we have heaved a sigh of relief and thanked the state government and all those who had worked for the safe release of the officer with much fervour. Villagers of Samathanapuram, a hamlet in Tirunelveli district, from where the collector hails, have burst into jubilation as the news spreaded among them. They burst crackers and distributed sweets out of boundless joy, which was telecasted live by hoards of media personnel who were present there since the abduction of collector. Once again the phrase, “All’s well that ends well”, got better of things.
Far away in Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, impoverished populace of two small villages witnessed a saga of broken hearts and shattered aspirations when bodies of two young men, who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, were taken on their final journey. There weren't any media personnel or senior politicians. The bullet riddled bodies of Amjad khan of Nagari village in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district and Kishun Kujur of Yashpur village were laid on rest amidst emotional scenes but not with much paraphernalia, albeit they too were associated with the same incident that happened at Manjhipara village twelve days ago. The only reason for this dichotomy is because, they were the body guards of the abducted collector, who were outnumbered and outmanoeuvred by heavily armed Maoists who came with a well planned strategy to kidnap the top official of the district under broad day light. Both were shot and killed instantly with brutal coarseness.
Khan, a post graduate in history from Pune University was a bachelor, while Kujur is survived by his wife Seema and two small, four and one year old sons. Me being a serving government official, the code of conduct tagged with my job, restricting me from writing my soul out on this issue.
Here, I’ve no intention of arguing for the deceased policemen or their hapless family members who were deprived of their loved ones and bread bearers, but to look upon in a different perspective, the plight of few men who safeguard someone else’s life with their own.
Almost two decades ago, we all remember, in a reticent village approximately 30 miles away from Chennai, our beloved former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated while campaigning for a Lok Sabha candidate at an election rally at Sriperumbudur. He died instantly. Few meters away, Sub Inspector Pradeep Kumar Guptha of Delhi police had a little life left in him to ask what is more imperative for him than his own life. All those rescuers and party workers who responded to the initial disaster were screaming and thronging with a question that the whole nation asked amongst each other in the next few hours. ‘Is Rajivji safe? Is the leader safe...?’.
Mr. Guptha, while wilting away, taking his last breath asked the same question with a slight difference. ‘Is my boss safe...?’ Nobody answered him, as they were hysterically running towards an important life, much more precious than his own that of a policeman. I may thank those who didn’t care to answer him; otherwise he would have left this world with a grieving heart.
Life of a body guard is just about the willingness to make the supreme sacrifice for a person to whom he may not even remotely associated to. In a profession where the price for a mistake is always death, the job of a body guard is usually a thankless one. Kujur and Amjad did exactly what was expected of them to do as body guards of the collector. They committed themselves to it at the cost of their lives.
I will never either blame the collector nor will I accuse him squarely for this incident. A dutiful district collector could not by any means confine himself in the comfort of his air conditioned office enjoying the panache of special privileges accorded to his job, but has to reach the masses with the developmental activities the government entrusted to him for the welfare of the society. We should not vilify his intentions. Whereas it’s the government machinery including his own office as district magistrate has to decide the level of security he deserves according to threats from newer areas and in keeping view of the present threat perception. Sukhma, a place often frequented by me during my tenure in Dantewada district, is well known to me as a region where Maoists have a significant influence over the local populace. In a place widely accepted as a critically affected area, the decision to visit a remote village to attend a function which was highly publicised well in advance with a meager two armed guards in a motorcycle was indeed a high risk affair. As the bereaved wife of Kujur, poignantly said lateron while talking to media that, if the collector had carried more force, her husband could have been alive, is an indication as to how much the policemen and their family members are aware of contemporary security scenario of that place. Maoists once again have exhibited their infamous modus operandi of attacking their enemy in sheer numbers and thereby managed to abduct the collector without much resistance from his bodyguards. Here, the most important concept of personal protection, "the element of surprise", was compromised to a larger extent. .
Any senior administrative officer, though grudgingly, has to take decisions at the spur of the moment by taking into consideration certain issues which are more prominent than his personal comforts. They have to live by the fact and at times taking risks would become imperative. But still, it is my personal opinion that, every individual should be aware of his threat perception and to a large extend is responsible for his own protection. By virtue of being a person who had almost eleven years of experience in the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) an agency responsible for the protection of the Prime Minister of India, I can categorically say that, if a subject intentionally deviates from the existing norms of security, then no one can save him. If you have a high threat perception, you have no choice but to abide by the well defined norms of security, which will eventually save you and your dear ones from being ravaged.
Some news paper reports quoted Khaleem khan, father of deceased Amjad khan who said, “I don’t agree with what they (government) are doing. Naxals will keep up their pressure like this. They will kidnap more officials to make similar demands...” After reading this, I thought, isn’t the same fact that the security experts and high profile media men came up with one unanimous conclusion at the end of several brain storming sessions conducted in their studios in the aftermath of this incident?
No human life is less or more important than another. Let us not be casual over issues worth paying deep attention. Maoists are now on abduction spree. They are least bothered about human lives and ethics. They can go to any extent to achieve their targets. Abduction and merciless killing of unarmed policemen returning from leave or other official assignments have become a routine affair. Intelligence reports suggested that, naxals have managed to consolidate their positions considerably during the suspension of the armed operations against them in the wake of recent kidnappings. It affected the intelligence gathering mechanism also. Maoist used this period to lay out a vast network of landmines which will be used extensively against the Central Paramilitary Forces in those naxal infested areas. Means more lives of security force members. All senior public servants should understand the grievousness of the situation and should ensure adequate security measures while venture out to unknown places where naxalites have stupendous hold. Basically you need to understand that your stupidity may result in you having to spend days in their captivity and more over in releasing hardcore militants who were captured by brave policemen by putting their lives on tenterhook. Now here it becomes pertinent to say that, there is only a hairline difference between ridiculousness and courageousness. Nobody should ever have to flaunt their chivalry at the cost of someone else’s life.
Reports also suggested that, naxals managed to recruit new cadres and procure more arms and ammunition in an effort to strengthen their establishments, particularly in the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha during this period. It is definitely a galling setback for the Central Para military Forces. In the wake of these events, abduction of Sukhma collector seemed to be a game plan of Maoist well orchestrated at the cost of the lives of police men. The more prevalent questions are, when will Maoist’s atrocity and bloodbath end? When will they come to the main stream politics and join the government in resurrecting the impoverished tribal populace in the far flung hinterlands of India? Their merciless attacks and cold blooded murders are rising day by day. It seems that they have as much penchant for police blood as do wolves for sheep’s. Now it’s the time for the government to initiate concerted and stringent military action against the Maoists thereby finding a perennial solution to this problem once and for all. A soft approach on these brutal killers will do nothing to mar their intrinsic image of cannibals that seemed to engulf them.
The motto should be, ...``MASH ON MERCILESS``
" Why you wanna try to get us down, when even bullets couldn't do...."
JAI HIND.........JAI BHARAT MATA...!
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