Author:
Publication: Rediff on Net
Date: September 28, 2002
URL: http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/28inter.htm
Former director general of the Punjab
police K P S Gill says India will not be able to fight terrorism unless
there is a national agreement to tackle this danger.
In an interview to Chief Correspondent
Onkar Singh, the flamboyant former Indian Police Service officer -- security
adviser to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi after the riots in the
state -- said it was the duty of the State to protect its citizens, and
not for citizens to fight terrorism on behalf of the State.
Q.: Do you feel there was a security
lapse which resulted in terrorists attacking the Aksharadham temple in
Gandhinagar?
A.: I do not think there was any
security lapse on the part of the Gujarat police. Terrorists set their
own agenda and choose their own timings.
Q.: Did the Gujarat police have
any intelligence, warning of such an attack?
A.: When I was security advisor
to the chief minister, we had some inputs which said terrorists could strike
in the state, but there was nothing specific. Possibly, the conspiracy
for this attack was hatched either in Jammu and Kashmir or in Pakistan.
The manner in which it was carried
out bears the stamp of the Inter Services Intelligence of Pakistan. One
such indicator comes from the fact that the markings on the AK-47 assault
rifles had been scratched in order to avoid detection of the source of
supply. We have to broaden our intelligence network and for this the Government
of India should be willing to spend more money.
Q.: The Gujarat police claims the
two terrorists had done their homework...
A.: Subsequent developments do
not support this theory. In my opinion they were not well informed about
the place. I am convinced that local police commandos should have dealt
with the situation on their own rather then summoning commandos from the
National Security Guards. After all, they were only two of them.
Q.: Do you approve of NSG commandos
being used for VIP protection?
A.: NSG commandos are highly motivated
and should be used sparingly to tackle special situations. The use of NSG
commandos for personal security should be discouraged. I think commandos
from the Central Reserve Police Force or Central Industrial Security Force
should be deployed for VIP security. They are equally effective.
Q.: How can terrorism be countered
in today's situation?
A.: By killing terrorists who dare
to attack the army, police and innocent people. There should be no room
for capturing them alive. Look at the example of Sri Lanka. The LTTE had
so many human bombs. The Sri Lankans did not allow a single human bomb
to escape. They found them and killed them before they could wreck havoc.
Now the LTTE has no human bombs. We have got to do the same thing here
as well.
Q.: Do you think the NSG should
be used in counter insurgency operations?
A.: The NSG has been specially
created to tackle some difficult and challenging situations. It is used
in specific cases but it cannot be used as a counter insurgency agency.
There are other specialist outfits that are well trained in anti insurgency
operations.
I would also like to point out here
that the misuse of NSG should be stopped immediately.
Q.: How long will militancy go on
in Jammu and Kashmir?
A.: So long as we do not act against
them effectively. If I am given a chance I would put down militancy in
Jammu and Kashmir with an iron hand. Just as we did in Punjab.
Q.: What about the Kashmiri Pandits
who live outside the state?
A.: Give me the charge of Kashmir
and I would take the Kashmiri Pandits back to their homes with honour and
dignity. We would protect them in Kashmir just as we protected the Hindu
community in Punjab during militancy. It was wrong on part of (then) governor
Jagmohan to move them out of Kashmir.
Q.: When will Gujarat return to
normalcy?
A.: Gujarat would have been normal
had the elections been held on schedule. I think those who colluded to
postpone the elections in Gujarat are also to share a part of the blame
for what is going on in the state now. Gujarat would undergo a period of
uncertainty, tension and high violence. That is my gut feeling.
Q.: You said it takes political
will to fight terrorism. What do you actually mean by that?
A.: Unless you have a national
agreement that terrorism should be put down with an iron hand there is
no way you can fight terrorism. It is a crying shame that when this government
was trying to get an anti terrorism bill passed political leaders from
various parties were talking in discordant voices.
Human right activists are only active
in India. Nowhere else where terrorism is being fought have such activists
raised their voices. Be it America, Germany, Israel, UK etc.
Q.: Some politicians have asked
the people to combat terrorism.
A.: It is the duty of the state
government to protect its citizens and fight terrorism. People can only
inform the police and help them. In the present day when the common man
is bothered about his day to day living, where does he have the time to
keep an eye on what others are doing? It is the responsibility of the State
to provide protection to its subjects.
