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“Of his own security, Gill famously said: That’s Sharma’s concern”

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“On his own security, Gill famously said: That’s Sharma’s concern”

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Former director general of Punjab police KPS Gill played a unique role in eliminating Khalistani terrorism in the Punjab in the eighties and early nineties. He was brought to Punjab as Inspector General of Punjab Armed Police at a very difficult period but he won the admiration of the citizens with the success of Operation Black Thunder which freed the Golden Temple in Amritsar of militants. Speaking to Rashme Sehgal, his son-in-law Dr Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute of Conflict Management, reminiscences about this dynamic and controversial personality

What is the quality you remember most about KPS Gill?

What I remember most about him is the sheer intensity of his commitment and sense of purpose. Nothing detracted him from what he had set out to do. He had a tremendous ability to focus on his goals. He had clear ideas about the nature and origins of the terrorist challenge in the Punjab and also how it should be tackled. In that sense he was fearless because he spent no time worrying about his own security. When he was once asked whether he was apprehensive about him being attacked by terrorists, his reply was ‘that is Sharma’s concern’. (Sushil Sharma was the officer in charge of his security.) During the period of terrorism in the Punjab, he used to travel for 26-28 days in a month.

This is not to say that he was not a target of terrorist attack. He was targeted endlessly and once came within shooting distance of a group of terrorists who chickened out at the last minute. This is in contrast to both his predecessor and his successor as DG Punjab police. To cite one example, in 1990-91, Gill was transferred to the CRPF in Delhi. The officer who succeeded him was targeted in a bomb attack following which he is known never to have stepped out of his official place of residence during his remaining tenure.

He introduced the whole concept of Operation Night Dominance by which the Punjab police would move around at night patrolling as well as attacking militant. Earlier, the police would barricade themselves in their police station at night but Operation Night Dominance saw them gaining an upper hand against terrorists.

Gill did write about his experiences in tackling militancy in his book Knights of Falsehood and also wrote an extensive paper on this subject titled Endgame in Punjab?

Endgame in Punjab provides details about the overall strategy and tactical changes deployed to defeat militancy in Punjab. His book titled Knights of Falsehood exposes the false version of Sikkhism  that was espoused by  Akali Dal leaders such as  Parkash Singh Badal, Gurucharan Singh Tohra, Bhindarwale and others. The role of the Akalis was shameful but has been largely forgotten today. Militancy spread in the Punjab because of them.

In the last interview Gill gave before his death, he regretted the fact that Indian institutions lacked institutional memory. For example, he highlighted how mistakes made in the 80s in tackling insurgency were being repeated today?

Yes indeed. The Khaslistani movement was brought to an end 22 years ago but the question is what has been the learning curve ? How should we apply principles of counter insurgency especially when this has been dealt with earlier.  We need to understand the importance of routine policing and more important, we must also understand the dynamics of a conflict. Apart from a half-day conference on the Punjab experience organised by the Punjab police, not a single meet has been organised in these 22 years at the level of  the National Police Academy on how this insurgency was tackled. Today, the theory doing the round is that the situation in Punjab was not so bad but people should not be allowed to forget  how serious the situation  in the Punjab was. We  were close to losing Punjab. Senior politicians used to say we have lost the people and it is only a matter of time before we lose the land.

I must also highlight how the suicide of Ajit Singh Sandhu ( former SSP of Tarn Taran)  and persecution of other Punjab police officers who fought insurgency saw him writing at length on this subject and how it was this police which helped to bring Punjab back from the brink.

Mr Gill was critical about the way Operation Blue Star had been conducted by the army?

He was written on this subject. I think for him it was not a question of the army or the police because they had been asked to respond to a political time table. The fact is that the army went in without the assistance of the local intelligence. We must not forget that following Operation Blue Star, militants crossed over and sought Pakistan’s help which they received and which helped start a proxy war that was spearheaded by Pakistan.

One of the reasons why he was able to combat this was because he brought about a unique model of co-operative command. He helped ensure that every officer of a particular rank in the police was in touch with his army counterpart so that there was complete intelligence sharing in a unified command system. They met on a daily basis and the aim of this exercise was very clear that they support each other. It helped construct a level of personal relationships which have not been replicated since. All control rooms were manned by police, army and CPRF officials- no one was kept out of the loop.

He believed the army was a national force and could not be seen fighting the people; the dirty work was left to the cops who had to conduct cordon and search operations. But look at the effect on the ground. No single village with more than three Hindu families was allowed to push these families out of their village. Orders were given to provide protection to the Hindu families and this was done. Militants always want an ethnic separation to occur, a polarisation of the population, because this helps to create greater discord. But this was not allowed to happen in the Punjab.

His greatest regret is that he was not allowed to handle Kashmir. I believe if he had been sent there, the issue would have been resolved by now. He took a demoralised Punjab police and helped to raise their morale. Punjab even during the period of the militancy, right up to the early 2000s remained the second most prosperous state of the country. After the recent Akali rule, it has climbed down to fourteenth position and its per capita income has plunged. Not even the Khalistanis did as much harm as the Akali rule.

Gill received praise for his handling of Operation Black Thunder?

The entire operation has been very well documents. He took two decisions against very strong opposition. The first was to allow the media to watch the entire operation unfold before their eyes. The second was to maintain it as a protracted siege by surrounding them and starving the militants off. Later, when they capitulated, the world got a chance to see just how they had desecrated Harmander Sahib. The terrorists were exposed completely.

I must mention that he was a virtual legend in Assam. He was called in to help quell the riots in Gujarat in 2002. He was called two months after the rioting had started in Gujarat. Before leaving, he asked Captain Amarinder Singh who was then chief minister of Punjab for a contingent of the Punjab police. Singh agreed but the request was turned down by the centre. Again, he had to deal with an extremely demoralised Gujarat police with some of them having colluded in the rioting. Within a week of his arrival, the rioting stopped.

He helped create confidence amongst the Muslims and mobs of petitioners used to be standing outside his office for hours on end. He published the phone numbers of the police officials and told the victims they should talk directly to him. He did not allow people to shirk responsibility. Some police officers who were known for their strong communal views were made in charge of getting the mosques cleaned.

He majored in English literature and had a great love of both English and Urdu poetry?

Yes. He had a phenomenal memory and could recite poems of both the great and minor poets. He thought it was his love of literature which helped provide him insights into human nature and helped him understand the wide range of responses on how people respond to different situations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far.

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Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

Indian Navy officials on Friday said that an Indian fishing vessel with a crew of 13 collided with an Indian Naval submarine near the Goa coast. 

Following the incident, a massive search and rescue operation has been launched by the Indian Navy, which has deployed six ships and aircraft. Reportedly, while 11 crew have been rescued, two are still missing.

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement and said that the vessel, Marthoma, collided with a Scorpene-class submarine about 70 nautical miles off the Goa coast. It added that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two are underway and are being coordinated with Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai (MRCC). It further mentioned that additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts.

The statement said that the cause of the incident is being investigated. Notably, Scorpene-class submarines are a major part of India’s naval power in the Indian Ocean as they can undertake multifarious types of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.

Reports said that the state-of-the-art technology utilised for the construction of the Scorpene-class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimized shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision-guided weapons. Furthermore, the attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on the surface.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy in its statement said that 13 crew members were aboard the fishing vessel at the time of the collision. It added that while 11 crew have been rescued so far, two fishermen are still reported missing.

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far. He stated that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two crew members of Marthoma are in progress and are being coordinated with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Mumbai. Additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts, he continued.

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10 Naxalites killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma

The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continue their search operation in the area.

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Ten Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Friday.

The confrontation started in the morning within a forest area under the jurisdiction of the Bhejji police station, where a joint operation was being conducted by security personnel as part of an anti-Naxalite initiative, according to Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P. 

This operation was initiated following intelligence regarding the presence of Maoists connected to the Konta and Kistaram area committees, situated in the forested regions around Korajguda, Dantespuram, Nagaram, and Bhandarpadar villages.

So far, the bodies of ten Naxalites have been recovered at the scene. Additionally, a significant cache of weapons was seized, including an INSAS rifle, an AK-47, and a Self Loading Rifle (SLR). 

The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continue their search operation in the area. This incident contributes to the year-to-date total of 207 Naxalite fatalities recorded in various clashes across the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, comprising seven districts. 

On Wednesday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital, North Block. Their discussion focused on developmental progress in Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh and efforts aimed at enhancing peace and stability in these regions. 

The Chief Minister emphasised that both the state government and security forces are diligently working to eradicate Naxal influence in Chhattisgarh, aligning with the Union Home Minister’s commitment to eliminate Naxalism by 2026.

“I met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and updated him about the Naxal activities in Chhattisgarh. Over the past 11 months, close to 200 Naxals have been neutralized, and approximately 600-700 have surrendered. We are making significant strides towards the goal set by the Prime Minister and Home Minister to achieve a Naxal-free India by March 2026,” CM Sai told reporters following the meeting.

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Canada fact checks own media, rejects report claiming PM Modi knew of Nijjar murder plot

The clarification comes after a Canadian newspaper cited an unnamed national security official, claiming the alleged plot to murder Nijjar was orchestrated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

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Canada fact checks own media, rejects report claiming PM Modi knew of Nijjar murder plot

The Canadian government clarified that there is no evidence to connect Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his top officials to any criminal activity in Canada, including the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The clarification comes after a Canadian newspaper cited an unnamed national security official, claiming the alleged plot to murder Nijjar was orchestrated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The media report further alleged that PM Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval were informed about the plan.

Nonetheless, the same report acknowledged that the Canadian government had no direct evidence to support these claims against PM Modi. Issuing a statement, the Canadian government distanced itself from these allegations, mentioning that there was no substantiating evidence.

The statement underlined that on October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the government of India.

It added that the government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada. It remarked that any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate.

Earlier, India furiously rejected the Canadian daily’s report as ludicrous, terming it detrimental to diplomatic ties that have been frosty since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first accused India of involvement in Nijjar’s killing last year.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they do not normally comment on media reports, but such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. He added that smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties.

Diplomatic ties between India and Canada weakened when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) accused Indian government agents of involvement in criminal activities on Canadian soil, including murder, extortion, and intimidation. As the diplomatic rift intensified, both the countries expelled top envoys in response.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. Earlier in 2024, Canadian authorities arrested and charged four Indian nationals for the murder.

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