Opinion On the spot with Indira

Indira Gandhi struck up an amazing affinity with India’s masses and travelled to every nook and corner of this vast land. As a police officer,I saw her on several occasions during her visits to Assam. On October 2,1970,she came to unveil Mahatma Gandhi’s statue on Sarania Hill in Guwahati. Security was arranged for the afternoon,but when she arrived it was getting dark. Sensitive to the feelings of the people waiting,she wanted to be seen by them even so. She decided to sit in the front seat of the Ambassador car,holding an electric torch. A glimpse of Indira Gandhi,made radiant by the focused light,was the reward for those waiting. Driven by persecution and hunger,millions of people from what was then East Pakistan trudged long distances for shelter and survival in Assam in 1971. She came to visit the refugee camps,which accommodated lakhs of people,men,women and children,young and old,sick and dying. The stench moved her,but did not make her flinch.Mrs Gandhi was again in Guwahati in December 1976,to preside over a Congress party session. Being in charge of the security of the venue,I watched her unfurl the party flag; her voice choked when she spoke about sacrifices made by the Indian people to win independence. She would come to the session,morning and afternoon,wearing colourful regional costumes representing the variety of the Northeast. One day she came dressed in Assamese mekhla and chadar,providing onlookers with much-wanted relief from the cacophony of politics. The security arrangements at the dais were tight and unobtrusive,but I could see that she kept surveying the entire venue frequently and intently,alert to her surroundings.In 1983,Assam was torn by unprecedented communal/ethnic violence. Thousands who fled their homes were given shelter and relief in camps. Fighting the violence was the Assam police,led by the redoubtable K.P.S. Gill; they worked days on end to quell the fury of the mob. We did not sleep for days,could not change our shoes or uniforms,had no time even to shave. It was most painful to see communal passions devastate areas where people of different groups — religious and ethnic — had been living in peace and harmony.The prime minister came to see the conditions of the victims in their camps. It was a daunting task for the police engaged in security bandobast,especially as Indira Gandhi ignored all warnings of threats and danger. She was keen to visit the people and they were eager to receive her even in the midst of their misery. I was on duty in Madhavpara,a hamlet in Nagaon district,when she came to visit. I saw her helicopter land on a helipad in a paddy field. From the helipad she walked straight to the “Namghar”,a place for religious gatherings that had been converted into a temporary camp. Immediately,the people surrounded her. They were waiting to see her for they knew she was there to listen to their woes. The grateful people performed aarti,gave her “gamcha” and “jhappi”,the traditional Assamese welcome. Again,she was moved,again the bonding was complete.Her visit to Nellie — a vast,difficult and forested terrain ravaged by violence — has permanently stayed in my memory. Several bigwigs made ritualistic visits to the place but the two who came to give comfort and solace were Mother Teresa and Indira Gandhi. The police had mounted security arrangements when the PM’s helicopter landed at Jogigopa,a small town nearby.On arrival,the PM just listened. She did not react to what she was being told — but grasped the gravity of the situation in no time. She then decided to visit the area in a jeep. The stench in the air,the dust of the unpaved road was nauseating. Covering her face with her sari,Indira Gandhi got down from the jeep and surveyed as much of the area as the topography permitted. For me it was a unique experience,being on the spot. Before leaving,Mrs Gandhi did not fail to thank us,and gave us coffee and water from her helicopter to help refresh ourselves. We felt encouraged to continue to do our duty. The lack of sleep,the exhaustion left us as the chopper soared into the sky with the prime minister on board.

The writer,a former director of the CBI,is a member of the National Human Rights Commission