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Journalism of Courage
First, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel moved in to provide security to riot witnesses. The sense of security didn’t last long though: two weeks later, riot witnesses said they were worried that frequent visits by the CISF men would blow their cover. Perturbed over the reports that witnesses were feeling unsafe despite the CISF’s presence, the force seems to be keen to dispel such fears.
CISF (Western Zone) DIG R.K. Mishra reached Ahmedabad today and reviewed the deployment of CISF personnel at ‘‘sensitive locations’’. Mishra met a number of key eye-witnesses in and around Ahmedabad, Anand, Himmatnagar, Baria and Godhra. ‘‘This was an exercise to gather feedback directly from the people whose security is threatened and for whom CISF personnel have been deployed,’’ a CISF official said. The DIG is also learnt to have met senior state police officials and discussed with them how to improve, if necessary, the security of the eye-witnesses.
After meeting eye-witnesses and officials, Mishra was ‘‘satisfied’’ with the existing security system as provided by the state police and its ongoing monitoring by CISF personnel, a source said. ‘‘He was told by the eye-witnesses that they had no such particular fear from any source right now, that they were feeling safer after CISF came in. He also found that they were generally satisfied with security provided to them by state policemen,’’ a senior official said.
In Ahmedabad, the DIG visited areas like Juhapura, Vatva, Shahibag, Sarkhej and Naroda, where key eye-witnesses in several cases of rioting and massacre are now living. ‘‘The local police and CISF personnel have been very proactive and there is hardly any reason for witnesses to feel insecure. Since almost all of them have mobile phones and easy access to telephones, they don’t need to worry about their security. They have mobile phone numbers of CISF officials posted here for their security and can alert them in case they feel they are in danger,’’ a senior official quoted the DIG as having said at an internal meeting.
Some 120 key witnesses are presently under state police and CISF protection. Many witnesses had asked CISF officials not to visit them frequently as they thought they would be exposed to greater danger but CISF officials say the witnesses don’t think so.
