Cops discuss ways to counter Nepal Maoist threat to HP

This month’s incident involving a native of Nepal,who had made telephonic calls to a close relative of former Communication Minister Sukh Ram for a huge ransom,has come as an eye opener for the state police. The accused,later arrested in Nepal,has turned out to be a Maoist rebel,who also stayed in Himachal.

Some of these Maoists,police say,have also sneaked into local farmers’ groups and labour organisations to create unrest at several places in the state. There are also 300 Nepalese,who have escaped to their country after committing crimes here and can’t be extradited since India doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Nepal.

This was one of the nearly two dozen issues raised in the first-ever meeting of 10 states’ police officers for evolving an institutionalised mechanism on information sharing amongst states faced with cases of organised crime,problem of fake currency rackets,cyber crime,spying,drug and wildlife smuggling,flesh trade and human trafficking.

Himachal’s Director General of Police DS Manhas presided over the meeting,which was attended by IG-rank officers from Haryana,Punjab,Uttarakhand,Uttar Pradesh,Delhi,Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Officers from Jammu and Kashmir,Bihar and Jharkhand could not attend. The officials from the Army Intelligence agencies attended.

HP’s Additional Director General of Police (CID) ID Bhandari,said,“The policing these days can’t remain confined within the boundaries of the states. There is an urgent need to make a close coordination and networking on intelligence sharing. The effort,though belated,is going to be meaningful for making policing more effective in the northern region”.

Endorsing the view,Rajbir Deswal,Haryana’s Inspector General of Police (CID),said “Haryana too has a problem in nabbing runaway couples,criminals,drug peddlers and those involved in fake currency rackets who take shelter in Himachal. This kind of coordination will be beneficial to all”.

In Himachal,migrant labourers,including Nepalese nationals,are already under the scanner of the state’s intelligence agencies.

Another problem faced by Himachal,Punjab and Haryana is the attempt to radicalise Muslims by members of Tablique- Jammat. “Not all members of the Jammat are involved but there is a group within the outfit,which indulges in these actions and thus remained under the scanner,” an officer admitted.

Bhandari said a startegy has been finalised to deal with drug struggling ,including cultivation of some hybrid varieties of cannabis and opium in Himachal Pradesh. More than 25 foreigners involved in charas smuggling are lodged in Himachal jails and there are 450 to 500 cases registered in one year.

“The police have identified areas and action to destroy the crop will begin soon,maybe in April,for opium to be followed by destruction of the cannabis crop in September. Himachal alone contributes between 20 to 25 per cent of the total charas seizure in the country”,Bhandari said.