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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 28: At the annual meet of director generals and inspector generals of police, Intelligence Bureau IB and para-military forces, the Prime Minister8217;s speech dwelt on Pakistan8217;s stepped-up proxy war against India, the threat from 8220;hostile forces8221; in the neighbourhood, the situation in the North-East and 8220;the scourge of left extremism.8221;
Then, the Prime Minister left, and the agenda of the meet took a new turn. Vigyan Bhavan, the venue, was converted into an arena for a turf war between police officers and the IB. Several senior police officials from different States accused the IB of goofing up on its basic function, the gathering and dissemination of intelligence.
Police officers from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh topped the gripe list. They charged IB with releasing 8220;generalised intelligence reports8221;, typically worded be on the lookout for violence in a particular district8217;. This, they pointed out, doesn8217;t localise the threat, nor does it help in taking prompt pre-emptive action.
Officers from Andhra Pradesh also spoke of how the IB had failed miserably in providing them with credible information on Naxalite activities. Just as is lampooned in the movies, the police were the last to reach the scene of crime after VIPs8217; homes were bombed and politicians assassinated.
Several participants also complained about the IB8217;s tardiness in passing on crucial information to law enforcing agencies. According to a top police officer from Bihar, by the time the IB8217;s tip-off percolates from New Delhi to its state unit and from there to the concerned police station, the incident has passed everybody by.
