Anshul Chaturvedi Tuesday August 04, 2009
(Kudos to Anshul Chaturvedi for this piece posted on the Times of India Blogs. For once, someone has called a spade a spade. The police in India are not paragons of all virtue. But so are not many others placed above them on the hierarchical rungs. Hang them first, before yo start attacking the only ones delivering goods in India today).
Chaturvedi's article:
"India's status as the world's largest democracy is undermined by a police force that thinks it is above the law," says Brad Adams, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, in a recent report.
I disagree.
I think India's status as a democracy - irrespective of size - is firstly undermined by a political class that thinks it is above the law, by an administrative machinery that thinks it is above the law, and - going by how upset they are at being asked to divulge their financial assets - a judiciary that thinks it is above the law, too. The cops are way, way down the line. And, oh, incidentally, along the way, they get shot, too. None of the others run that risk.
We have made a culture out of branding men in uniform. The local police, the central paramilitary forces, and whenever we get a chance, the army. And anybody who thinks otherwise risks being promptly branded a right-winger or a closet BJP sympathiser (some blog commentators seem to be in an endless pursuit of hidden clues to expose all writers as such!).
Anyways, leaving that aside, I am not in the least saying that whatever the police do is right. I am also not in the least denying that the degree of corruption at the grassroots in the local police across the country is simply unacceptable, with perhaps the traffic cops ahead of the rest by a fair margin. I also think our reaction as a society to many things the police do is a combination of mixed reactions and double standards - as in the case of police 'encounters'.
What I am saying is that we seem to look at our police forces the way the Sri Lankan population looked at the IPKF - a force which worked with one hand tied behind its back, did some things wrong and many things right, was handicapped by policy and structural drawbacks, fought pitched battles against well entrenched opposition, and, at the end of the day, earned nobody's sympathy.
Officers who were heroes and took immense personal risks when the anti-Khalistani battle was being fought in the fields and towns of Punjab were sidelined, shunted or locked up when peace was established. Some spent time in jails, some committed suicide. It was reduced to a pathetic Congress vs Akali issue. We will be fools to forget the difference between Operation Bluestar and Operation Black Thunder, the difference between letting loose tanks to handle internal security and letting a coordinated Centre-State policing operation sort out complex issues.
Punjab was won back from a period of endless violence by the police - brutally, yes, but if anyone had any other way to do it, I don't remember hearing much about it in those years, when everyone would shut the doors at night, and CRPF gypsies with an LMG on top and thick wooden panels as improvised bullet-proofing would be the only vehicles for endless miles on the lonely Punjab roads. The local police - a very high proportion of which was Sikh - fought a bloody battle for years. The price they paid ranged from attacks on the then DGP Ribeiro, to dozens of officers killed, to the long night when militants in a coordinated manner selectively killed 40-odd relatives of policemen, across villages. Yet, the force displayed the spine to keep the fight going. The fact that the Punjab Police is today back to being a relatively easy, not-too-averse-to-financial-perks sort of mindset does not change the reality of the bloody mess from which Punjab came back to what it is today. And how.
In J&K, a lot has gone wrong. But what went wrong in J&K didn't go wrong because the men in uniform went to set Kashmir alight. Once it went wrong, they were sent in to salvage it, and the familiar cycle of operations in insurgency-hit areas played itself it out. There is no hundred per cent clean, sanitised, and friendly way to handle situations once they reach those levels when AK-47s are in free circulation. No country in the world has been able to do that. Questions will arise, action will need to be taken, and if men cross the lines they shouldn't, action will need to be taken against them too. But there is more to the issue and the Forces than the headline-grabbling episodes of misbehaviour.
The CRPF seems to have been getting tagged as some sort of a bunch of deranged mavericks in hormonal overdrive, and faces the bulk of the current flak in Kashmir. "Send the CRPF back" is currently a very popular sentiment. However, not too long back, it was "send the BSF back". Come to think of it, hasn't it been "send the Army back" for some time? Ergo, send them all back? And it will be peace and harmony - courtesy the Lashkar?
Now, while the men in the CRPF are no better or no worse temperamentally than those in any similar force, the branding has been quick. And the horrendous PR machinery of the uniformed forces means that there is hardly any counter-move. But when two uniformed men are killed in the heart of Srinagar this Saturday, that is fair game. Coincidentally, they reflect the way men in khaki, across faiths and across their taglines, are fair game so often - the CRPF's BB Ghosh and the state police's Mohammed Shafi Bhat were the two men shot sans provocation, to make a point. In 24 hours, their names have no recall value for anyone. There will be no bandh or rally. There will be no write-ups in the local press expressing anything. This is just information. New road inaugurated by Minister. Flights cancelled due to bad weather. Two jawans killed in militant attacks. What's the difference?
And the same CRPF which is supposedly a bunch of maniacs in J&K is the first lot sent ahead to clear the way when West Bengal needs to reclaim "liberated territory" from the Maoists. The CRPF alone has lost 40-odd men killed in the interiors of the country - Chattisgarh and Jharkhand - this year alone. It's bizarre. The numbers of men killed just don't seem to register on us in terms of magnitude. The massacre of 36 policemen including the district SP of Rajnandgaon less than a month back is just a blip on our radar screens - we're probably back to watching Rakhi's swyamwaar with much greater focus.
As they say, the policeman's lot is not a happy one. The Indian policeman's lot is generally a miserable one, more so, if he isn't the sort who wants to stash himself with notes and believes in the old-fashioned world of duty unto death. Pity him.
So when Human Rights Watch says that the Indian police culture breeds brutality, it is no surprise. Yes, it does. It, however, despite the system and the culture, breed better things too - if only we would stop to give the devil his collective due.
If our status as the world's largest democracy is under threat, Mr Adams, I really don't think the neighbourhood cop is the first guy I think of as being responsible for that, at least not yet. He has a long way to catch up, so far as that list goes.
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Cell phone Guns... !!!!!
The mobile phone gun...!!!
Most of us see airport security as a pain..
Some of us even feel violated.
Perhaps when one sees the pictures below,
one can see the reason why cell phones
need to be sent through the x-ray machine.
If you get asked to test your cell phone at the airport,
do cooperate.
Cell phone guns have arrived.
AND they are real.
Beneath the digital phone face is a .22 caliber handgun
capable of firing four rounds in rapid succession
using the standard telephone keypad.
European law enforcement officials are stunned
by the discovery of these deadly decoys.
They say phone guns are changing the rules of engagement in Europe.
Only when you have one in your hand do you realize
that they are heavier than a regular cell phone.
Be patient if security asks to look at your cell phone
or turn it on to show that it works.
They have a good reason!
Wake up to our NEW WORLD!!
We shouldn't complain about airport security 'invading our privacy.
Most of us see airport security as a pain..
Some of us even feel violated.
Perhaps when one sees the pictures below,
one can see the reason why cell phones
need to be sent through the x-ray machine.
If you get asked to test your cell phone at the airport,
do cooperate.
Cell phone guns have arrived.
AND they are real.
Beneath the digital phone face is a .22 caliber handgun
capable of firing four rounds in rapid succession
using the standard telephone keypad.
European law enforcement officials are stunned
by the discovery of these deadly decoys.
They say phone guns are changing the rules of engagement in Europe.
Only when you have one in your hand do you realize
that they are heavier than a regular cell phone.
Be patient if security asks to look at your cell phone
or turn it on to show that it works.
They have a good reason!
Wake up to our NEW WORLD!!
We shouldn't complain about airport security 'invading our privacy.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Driving in India
..............received from Suman Dubey: New Delhi
(....just another perspective to the post: Laws of Delhi !)
(....just another perspective to the post: Laws of Delhi !)
For the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India and daring to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.
Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company.
The hints are as follows:
Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is "both". Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality. Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the generally intended direction.
Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself except for a belief in reincarnation; the other drivers are not in any better position. Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.
Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We horn to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts),or just mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar. Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade, or waiting for the rainwater to recede when over ground traffic meets underground drainage.
Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking colored lights and weird sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrims go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty, often meeting with success.
Auto Rickshaw (Baby Taxi): The result of a collision between a rickshaw and an automobile, this three-wheeled vehicle works on an external combustion engine that runs on a mixture of kerosene oil and creosote. This triangular vehicle carries iron rods, gas cylinders or passengers three times its weight and dimension, at an unspecified fare. After careful geometric calculations, children are folded and packed into these auto rickshaws until some children in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all round so those minor collisions with other vehicles on the road cause no permanent damage. Of course, the peripheral children are charged half the fare and also learn Newton's laws of motion enroute to school. Auto-rickshaw drivers follow the road rules depicted in the film Ben Hur, and are licensed to irritate.
Mopeds: The moped looks like an oil tin on wheels and makes noise like an electric shaver. It runs 30 miles on a teaspoon of petrol and travels at break-bottom speed. As the sides of the road are too rough for a ride, the moped drivers tend to drive in the middle of the road; they would rather drive under heavier vehicles instead of around them and are often "mopped" off the tarmac.
Leaning Tower of Passes: Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem. There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and t he overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity but obeying laws of surface tension.
As drivers get paid for overload (so many Rupees per kg of passenger), no questions are ever asked. Steer clear of these buses by a width of three passengers.
One-way Street: These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don't stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms, it means that you cannot proceed in two directions at once. So drive as you like, in reverse throughout, if you are the fussy type. Least I sound hypercritical; I must add a positive point also. Rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a "speed breaker"; two for each house. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left untarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting.
Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience for those with the mental make up of Genghis Khan. In a way, it is like playing Russian roulette, because you do not know who amongst the drivers is loaded. What looks like premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record. On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes.
Our roads do not have shoulders, but occasional boulders. Do not blink your lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver, and with the peg of illicit arrack (alcohol) he has had at the last stop, his total cerebral functions add up to little more than a naught. Truck drivers are the James Bonds of India, and are licensed to kill. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not a super motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the le ft one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate. You may prove your point posthumously.
Laws of Delhi:
Something for all law abiding citizens of Delhi to ponder upon!
so true...and hilarious...
so true...and hilarious...
The Laws of Delhi:
1. If my side of the road has a traffic jam, then I can start driving on the wrong side of the road, and all incoming cars will be rerouted via Meerut .
2. The Queue Nahin Rule: If there is a queue of many people, no one will notice me sneaking into the front as long as I am looking the other way.
3. The Mind Over Matter Law: If a traffic light is not working, four cars from different directions can easily pass through one another.
4. The Auto Axiom: If I indicate which way I am going to turn my vehicle, it is an information security leak.
5. The In Spit Of Things: The more I lean out of my car or bus, and the harder I spit, the stronger the roads become.
6. The Cinema Hall Fact: If I get a call on my mobile phone, the film automatically goes into pause mode.
7. The Brotherhood Law: If I want to win an argument, I need only to repeatedly suggest that the other person has illicit and unnatural relations with his sister.
8. The Baraat Right: When I'm on the road to a marriage, all the roads in the city belong to me.. To ME.
9. The Heart Of Things: If I open enough buttons on my shirt, the pretty girl at the bus stop can see through my maldeformed chest into the depths of my soul.
10. The Name Game: It is very important for the driver behind me to memorize the nicknames of my children.
11. Parking Up The Wrong Tree: When I double-park my car, the road automatically widens so that the traffic is not affected.
12. The Chill Bill Move: When I park and block someone else's car I am giving him a chance to pause, relax, chill and take a few moments off from his rushed day.
13. The Ogling Stare: If you don't ogle and drool at every hot chick that passes by, you're gay.
14. The Bus Karo Law: If the bus does not stop at the correct place near the bus stop, my city will explode and blow into 6 million pieces.
15. The VIP Rule: There are only 5 important persons in this city - Me, I, Myself, Main , Mainu.
.............sent in by Jyotsna Laroiya: New Delhi
Monday, 13 July 2009
Happy Birthday 'Buddy'
MARIJUANA FILLED FIREWOOD IN NEWFOUNDLAND
''Hello, is this the Police Office?'
'Yes. What can I do for you?'
'I'm calling to report 'bout my neighbor Jack Murphy...He's hidin' marijuana inside his firewood! Don't quite know how he gets it inside them logs, but he's hidin' it there..'
'Thank you very much for the call, sir.'
The next day, twelve St Johns Police Officers descend on Jack's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept.
Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana.
They sneer at Jack and leave.
Shortly, the phone rings at Jack's house.
'Hey, Jack! This here's Floyd....Did the Police come?'
'Yeah!'
'Did they chop your firewood?'
'Yep!'
'Happy Birthday, buddy!'
(Newfies know how to get'er done)
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Try bring Singapore sheen to Sangam Vihar! Yes, why not....?
....from the Hindustan Times: 12 July 2009
Good for you, Constable Sir..... Now that you have called Sangam Vihar India's Singapore while at the same time doling out statistics that every second house here boasts of at least one criminal.... maybe you could do something about it!!!!!?
Maybe u could try also to establish the rule of law in Sanagm Vihar and make it crime free like Singapore reputedly almost is.... !!!!!!!!! ?????????
Good for you, Constable Sir..... Now that you have called Sangam Vihar India's Singapore while at the same time doling out statistics that every second house here boasts of at least one criminal.... maybe you could do something about it!!!!!?
Maybe u could try also to establish the rule of law in Sanagm Vihar and make it crime free like Singapore reputedly almost is.... !!!!!!!!! ?????????
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Citizen's fight against corruption - a good practise, worthy to emulate...
From maxwell pereira (Delhi) To: Ronnie D'Souza ronnie99@airtelmail.in (in Bangalore)
Dear Ronnie,
I am really happy you are circulating this post by Shabbir Merchant - which has most happily been doing the rounds quite a lot.
I first read it on the IndiaTopCops (webgroup discussion form) where it was posted by one of the member IPS officers who was the recipient of this letter through the email circuit, sent to him by another committed citizen philanthropist like you...
In the IndiaTopCop discussion forum, there was/ and there is still, a lot of vibrant discussion - not only due and sheer appreciation, but also urges to reach this to the largest viewership possible within police organizations across the country - for emulation of this good example by the rank and file of all police organizations and units...
Your effort at circulating such will go a long way in building public opinion and in improving the much-maligned image of public service agencies and particularly of the police!
I see more than a glimmer of hope in this, for the country...
Thanks again...
Maxie
Ronnie D'Souza: ronnie99@airtelmail.in : Bangalore: 09 July 2009
An actual experience of Shabbir Merchant, articulated in his own words:
Dear Ronnie,
I am really happy you are circulating this post by Shabbir Merchant - which has most happily been doing the rounds quite a lot.
I first read it on the IndiaTopCops (webgroup discussion form) where it was posted by one of the member IPS officers who was the recipient of this letter through the email circuit, sent to him by another committed citizen philanthropist like you...
In the IndiaTopCop discussion forum, there was/ and there is still, a lot of vibrant discussion - not only due and sheer appreciation, but also urges to reach this to the largest viewership possible within police organizations across the country - for emulation of this good example by the rank and file of all police organizations and units...
Your effort at circulating such will go a long way in building public opinion and in improving the much-maligned image of public service agencies and particularly of the police!
I see more than a glimmer of hope in this, for the country...
Thanks again...
Maxie
Ronnie D'Souza: ronnie99@airtelmail.in : Bangalore: 09 July 2009
An actual experience of Shabbir Merchant, articulated in his own words:
Dear Friends,
When I narrated the incident below to a close friend over lunch earlier this week, he suggested that I should pen this down in an email and circulate it to as many friends in Bangalore as possible. So here goes an interesting experience of interacting with an IPS officer, who made me see a glimmer of hope, amidst the corruption that encompasses so many of our public services ( it is about 7 - 9 mins reading time...).
It was Friday 5th June, at about 3 pm I drove my Ford Ikon car into 80 feet road at Indira Nagar in Bangalore, wanting to reach on time for my 3.30 pm meeting with a client.
As I entered the wide road I saw a posse of traffic constables who stopped my car on the side and asked me to produce my car documents to the Traffic Sub Inspector (SI) who was standing on the footpath. I walked upto the SI and displayed my Driving Licence. He told me to bring my Car Insurance certificate and also my Emission Certificate for the car.
I walked back to my car and realised that I had not carried either of the documents in my car and was cursing myself for such a slip. I came back to the SI and told him that I did not have my document and what was to be done. The SI had a half smile & told me that the fine for not carrying both these documents was Rs 600/- however I could pay him Rs 300/-.
I removed my wallet and told the SI that I would pay the amount and wanted a receipt. He suddenly got stern and told me that in that case the fine was Rs 1,100. I paid the fine of Rs 1,100 and took the receipt, wondering why the fine had suddenly escalated just because I wanted a receipt instead of paying the Rs 300 bribe which the SI had asked.
After my client meeting as I was driving back, I was annoyed at myself for not carrying the documents and I was angry that at an officer at an SI level was blatantly seeking a bribe. I decided that I should do something about it and as soon as I reached my Home Office, I logged on to the net and found out that the Traffic Police of Bangalore has a website, which gives details of the fines chargeable, it also provides for logging complaints and gave the email ids of the Asst Commissioner of Police (ACP) for the traffic division.
At about 7 pm that evening I wrote an email to the email id of the ACP, narrating the incident of the afternoon and lodging a formal complaint in the email. I also found out the website of Lok Ayukta of Karnataka and marked a cc of the same email to the email id's given on the Lok Ayukta's website.
By about 7.30pm I had done the needful, and I was happy with myself that what I preach in my Leadership Workshops wrt Values, I had practised to a large extent (Paying the fine instead of paying the bribe and reporting the bribe demand to the best of my ability). I thought the chapter ended there, little realising that I would be having an indeed amazing and pleasant experience in the hours and days to come.
On Saturday 7th June (the next day) at about 2 pm, I logged into my Home Office and checked my email and lo behold, I had three emails sent to me by the ACP to who I had written the complaint email the previous day. The first one, informed me that I had done the right thing by paying the fine and not the bribe, the second email asked to give my complaint in writing and fax it to the ACP, so that action can be taken on the SI and the 3rd email asked me to give the ACP a call on his office no or his cell no, so that he could accelerate the action to be taken on the erring SI.
I promptly put my complaint in a letter and sent a scanned copy through the email to the ACP.
On Sunday, 8th June in the morning I checked my email and I had an email from the ACP stating that the erring SI had been suspended from service and that I must give the ACP a call to work out the next formalities. I called the ACP (till now I did not know the name of this ACP) who answered my call on the Sunday.
During my phone conversation he introduced himself as ACP Pravin Sood, and thanked me for doing what I did wrt not paying the bribe and also escalating the matter in writing, he explained that many Bangalore citizens escalate such cases to him but then back down when asked to give the complaint in writing. He apologised to me (yes - he said "I am sorry for what you faced with this SI who harassed you, because he did not have any business stopping your to check your documents if you had not done any traffic violation") and he invited me over to rea to his office at a time convenient to me.
After I kept the phone down, I could not believe that here was a case where within 48 hours of an incident of seeking bribe, the erring office was suspended.
I decided that I must meet in person ACP Pravin Sood, speaking with who for 10 minutes had changed a few paradigms in my mind about Public Service Officers. Since I was travelling the next few days, I sought time with him on 15th June at 4.30 pm at his office. I reached ACP Sood's office a little early (at 4.10 pm) and was pleasantly surprised when I was ushered into his office at 4..15 pm, he asked me to sit as he was completing a meeting with another delegation.
At sharp 4.30 pm he ended his previous meeting and turned to me and spent the next 20 minutes discussing with me several aspects of Traffic Policing in Bangalore and offered me a cup of tea (many corporate clients I visit, do not see me on time and do not offer me a cup of tea, so what ACP Sood was doing was indeed better than many corporate folks I have met!).
Right through the conversation, he was courteous, frank and completely articulate on his thoughts and ideas. He reiterated that there would be no repercussions on me for giving the complaint in writing, and that I may have to make one appearance in person when the internal enquiry is done, he also offered that instead of me having to come to the Police headquarters to give the statement, he could send one of his officers to my residence to take my statement if I so wish.
When I was leaving ACP Sood's office, I told him "Over the years many of my friends and cousins have urged me to migrate and settle in one of the western countries, but I have consciously chosen to stay back in India by my choice -- when I have interactions like the one I had with you ACP Sood, I am happy that I made the choice to stay back in India". It was an impromptu comment, straight from my heart to which ACP Sood just smiled and shook my hand.
When I was walking out of ACP Sood's office, I felt reassured that if we have officers like ACP Pravin Sood in our country, there is a Glimmer of Hope against corruption, provided we as citizens have the courage to say NO to bribes and have the inclination to report cases of bribe (I am no major RTI or social activist, yet I found all the info I needed on the web, sitting in my Home Office).
Change begins with me, I can make a difference!
Shabbir Merchant : Chief Value Creator : Valulead Consulting: Bangalore
shabbir@valulead.in
When I narrated the incident below to a close friend over lunch earlier this week, he suggested that I should pen this down in an email and circulate it to as many friends in Bangalore as possible. So here goes an interesting experience of interacting with an IPS officer, who made me see a glimmer of hope, amidst the corruption that encompasses so many of our public services ( it is about 7 - 9 mins reading time...).
It was Friday 5th June, at about 3 pm I drove my Ford Ikon car into 80 feet road at Indira Nagar in Bangalore, wanting to reach on time for my 3.30 pm meeting with a client.
As I entered the wide road I saw a posse of traffic constables who stopped my car on the side and asked me to produce my car documents to the Traffic Sub Inspector (SI) who was standing on the footpath. I walked upto the SI and displayed my Driving Licence. He told me to bring my Car Insurance certificate and also my Emission Certificate for the car.
I walked back to my car and realised that I had not carried either of the documents in my car and was cursing myself for such a slip. I came back to the SI and told him that I did not have my document and what was to be done. The SI had a half smile & told me that the fine for not carrying both these documents was Rs 600/- however I could pay him Rs 300/-.
I removed my wallet and told the SI that I would pay the amount and wanted a receipt. He suddenly got stern and told me that in that case the fine was Rs 1,100. I paid the fine of Rs 1,100 and took the receipt, wondering why the fine had suddenly escalated just because I wanted a receipt instead of paying the Rs 300 bribe which the SI had asked.
After my client meeting as I was driving back, I was annoyed at myself for not carrying the documents and I was angry that at an officer at an SI level was blatantly seeking a bribe. I decided that I should do something about it and as soon as I reached my Home Office, I logged on to the net and found out that the Traffic Police of Bangalore has a website, which gives details of the fines chargeable, it also provides for logging complaints and gave the email ids of the Asst Commissioner of Police (ACP) for the traffic division.
At about 7 pm that evening I wrote an email to the email id of the ACP, narrating the incident of the afternoon and lodging a formal complaint in the email. I also found out the website of Lok Ayukta of Karnataka and marked a cc of the same email to the email id's given on the Lok Ayukta's website.
By about 7.30pm I had done the needful, and I was happy with myself that what I preach in my Leadership Workshops wrt Values, I had practised to a large extent (Paying the fine instead of paying the bribe and reporting the bribe demand to the best of my ability). I thought the chapter ended there, little realising that I would be having an indeed amazing and pleasant experience in the hours and days to come.
On Saturday 7th June (the next day) at about 2 pm, I logged into my Home Office and checked my email and lo behold, I had three emails sent to me by the ACP to who I had written the complaint email the previous day. The first one, informed me that I had done the right thing by paying the fine and not the bribe, the second email asked to give my complaint in writing and fax it to the ACP, so that action can be taken on the SI and the 3rd email asked me to give the ACP a call on his office no or his cell no, so that he could accelerate the action to be taken on the erring SI.
I promptly put my complaint in a letter and sent a scanned copy through the email to the ACP.
On Sunday, 8th June in the morning I checked my email and I had an email from the ACP stating that the erring SI had been suspended from service and that I must give the ACP a call to work out the next formalities. I called the ACP (till now I did not know the name of this ACP) who answered my call on the Sunday.
During my phone conversation he introduced himself as ACP Pravin Sood, and thanked me for doing what I did wrt not paying the bribe and also escalating the matter in writing, he explained that many Bangalore citizens escalate such cases to him but then back down when asked to give the complaint in writing. He apologised to me (yes - he said "I am sorry for what you faced with this SI who harassed you, because he did not have any business stopping your to check your documents if you had not done any traffic violation") and he invited me over to rea to his office at a time convenient to me.
After I kept the phone down, I could not believe that here was a case where within 48 hours of an incident of seeking bribe, the erring office was suspended.
I decided that I must meet in person ACP Pravin Sood, speaking with who for 10 minutes had changed a few paradigms in my mind about Public Service Officers. Since I was travelling the next few days, I sought time with him on 15th June at 4.30 pm at his office. I reached ACP Sood's office a little early (at 4.10 pm) and was pleasantly surprised when I was ushered into his office at 4..15 pm, he asked me to sit as he was completing a meeting with another delegation.
At sharp 4.30 pm he ended his previous meeting and turned to me and spent the next 20 minutes discussing with me several aspects of Traffic Policing in Bangalore and offered me a cup of tea (many corporate clients I visit, do not see me on time and do not offer me a cup of tea, so what ACP Sood was doing was indeed better than many corporate folks I have met!).
Right through the conversation, he was courteous, frank and completely articulate on his thoughts and ideas. He reiterated that there would be no repercussions on me for giving the complaint in writing, and that I may have to make one appearance in person when the internal enquiry is done, he also offered that instead of me having to come to the Police headquarters to give the statement, he could send one of his officers to my residence to take my statement if I so wish.
When I was leaving ACP Sood's office, I told him "Over the years many of my friends and cousins have urged me to migrate and settle in one of the western countries, but I have consciously chosen to stay back in India by my choice -- when I have interactions like the one I had with you ACP Sood, I am happy that I made the choice to stay back in India". It was an impromptu comment, straight from my heart to which ACP Sood just smiled and shook my hand.
When I was walking out of ACP Sood's office, I felt reassured that if we have officers like ACP Pravin Sood in our country, there is a Glimmer of Hope against corruption, provided we as citizens have the courage to say NO to bribes and have the inclination to report cases of bribe (I am no major RTI or social activist, yet I found all the info I needed on the web, sitting in my Home Office).
Change begins with me, I can make a difference!
Shabbir Merchant : Chief Value Creator : Valulead Consulting: Bangalore
shabbir@valulead.in
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Maoists/ Naxal rampage in Lalgarh
Participated in the TV-TimesNow debates on Monday, 22nd June 2009 in two programmes:
i) the first at 9pm on Centre banning the Maoists' organization specifically – in which I was pitted against Varavara Rao a human rights activist who has been a long time supporter the Naxal movement in Andhra Pradesh; and then…
ii) in the NewsHour debate of 9.30 with co-panellists ex-IB chief Ajit Doval and human rights activist Gautam Naulaka – as far as I am concerned, covering the same ground that I already did in the earlier discussion – so I was content letting Ajit Doval hold fort which he did marvellously, intimately knowledgeable as he was with the subject. Only, with the likes of Gautam Naulaka on the debate, nothing fruitful is likely to ever result as he believes in soliloquies not wanting anyone to interrupt when he speaks, but himself not following what he preaches - consequently it totally became a shouting match between Doval and Naulaka like it usually is when Naulaka is pitted against me alone. An infructuos debate...
Comments
Hari Kak : on 24 June 2009
It was a coincidence that I saw you participating in a discussion on the T.V on Monday evening.
You were forthright in assessing the situation and it's fall out. You did not spare the Human Rights Activists for their negative role
Some time earlier I had seen you on a similar programme. Though you made your points very well, I got a feeling that you were rather restrained in taking on the bleeding heart rep of H.R. Was it because you did not want to be impolite to a lady? She irritated me so much by her ceaseless talk and qualified sympathy for the innocent Victims.
Best wishes. And keep fighting.
i) the first at 9pm on Centre banning the Maoists' organization specifically – in which I was pitted against Varavara Rao a human rights activist who has been a long time supporter the Naxal movement in Andhra Pradesh; and then…
ii) in the NewsHour debate of 9.30 with co-panellists ex-IB chief Ajit Doval and human rights activist Gautam Naulaka – as far as I am concerned, covering the same ground that I already did in the earlier discussion – so I was content letting Ajit Doval hold fort which he did marvellously, intimately knowledgeable as he was with the subject. Only, with the likes of Gautam Naulaka on the debate, nothing fruitful is likely to ever result as he believes in soliloquies not wanting anyone to interrupt when he speaks, but himself not following what he preaches - consequently it totally became a shouting match between Doval and Naulaka like it usually is when Naulaka is pitted against me alone. An infructuos debate...
Comments
Hari Kak : on 24 June 2009
It was a coincidence that I saw you participating in a discussion on the T.V on Monday evening.
You were forthright in assessing the situation and it's fall out. You did not spare the Human Rights Activists for their negative role
Some time earlier I had seen you on a similar programme. Though you made your points very well, I got a feeling that you were rather restrained in taking on the bleeding heart rep of H.R. Was it because you did not want to be impolite to a lady? She irritated me so much by her ceaseless talk and qualified sympathy for the innocent Victims.
Best wishes. And keep fighting.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Dacoit Ganshyam killed in encounter
Was on a debate last night on Times-Now (9.30pm) on dacoit Ganshyam @ Naan Kewat killed in encounter by UP Cops at Jamouli village in Chitrakoot.... It took three days for 400 cops to finally gun him down.... but not before four cops got killed and an IG and a DIG were injured in the encounter shootouts....
The TV channel true to its usual form (like in matters cricket) was shrill enough to wake the devil from his slumber - but its main thrust was the inadequacy and unpreparedness of the police to meet the criminal challenges that confront them every day. "What if it were a terrorist instead of dacoit Ganshyam that was holding us to ransom...?" yelled Arnab the righteous anchor at my co-panellist BP Shinghal (former DG Police of UP Cadre and later BJP MP and high profile minorities bashing politician... whom some might dub quite rabid any way!). Surprisingly for Shinghal the First World War vintage .303s and the country .12 bore shotguns and close combat arms like pistols and revolvers were more effective weapons to fight dacoits, than the sophisticated modern AK-47/56 or other modern gadgetry. Even boasted having eliminated hundreds of dacoits with such - seven of them with his own pistol, he claimed! The man needs to wake up and not bask in the era when UP police were famous for harnessing gallantry awards for eliminating so called dacoits after pumping bullets into them when tied to a tree; at least that's what every big name dacoit that surrendered to Delhi police gave us to understand in the times when I joined service (1970) "for fear of being eliminated not captured by the UP police in a fake encounter"
In times of an encounter and situations that warrant an encounter, I would not differentiate a terrorist from a dacoit - both in so far as the police are concerned are outlaws who need to be touched by the long arm of the law. Antiquated and obsolete weapons need replacement, and the earlier the governments move in the matter the better. But then all this revolves round the much cried for and touted in recent times Police Reforms that are a far cry from reality.... In encounters, capture should be the rule, and killing only exceptional...
400 cops whatever.... my congratulations to Bikram Singh and his boys of the UP cops for the successful elimination of Ganshyam... sincere condolences to the families of the cops who lost their lives, and wishes for speedy recovery to those injured in the fray...
Comments
responses came mainly on my Facebook page....
Veeresh Malik at 18:44 on 18 June
. . . and lots of bullets as well as a few weapons go adrift?
Teji Brar at 19:15 on 18 June
At least they didn't have to call in the NSG
Ayonam Ray at 23:23 on 18 June
Was it due to lack of training or lack of requisite equipment - or was it the politicians interfering, lest the skeletons of their past tumble out of Kewat's mouth?
The TV channel true to its usual form (like in matters cricket) was shrill enough to wake the devil from his slumber - but its main thrust was the inadequacy and unpreparedness of the police to meet the criminal challenges that confront them every day. "What if it were a terrorist instead of dacoit Ganshyam that was holding us to ransom...?" yelled Arnab the righteous anchor at my co-panellist BP Shinghal (former DG Police of UP Cadre and later BJP MP and high profile minorities bashing politician... whom some might dub quite rabid any way!). Surprisingly for Shinghal the First World War vintage .303s and the country .12 bore shotguns and close combat arms like pistols and revolvers were more effective weapons to fight dacoits, than the sophisticated modern AK-47/56 or other modern gadgetry. Even boasted having eliminated hundreds of dacoits with such - seven of them with his own pistol, he claimed! The man needs to wake up and not bask in the era when UP police were famous for harnessing gallantry awards for eliminating so called dacoits after pumping bullets into them when tied to a tree; at least that's what every big name dacoit that surrendered to Delhi police gave us to understand in the times when I joined service (1970) "for fear of being eliminated not captured by the UP police in a fake encounter"
In times of an encounter and situations that warrant an encounter, I would not differentiate a terrorist from a dacoit - both in so far as the police are concerned are outlaws who need to be touched by the long arm of the law. Antiquated and obsolete weapons need replacement, and the earlier the governments move in the matter the better. But then all this revolves round the much cried for and touted in recent times Police Reforms that are a far cry from reality.... In encounters, capture should be the rule, and killing only exceptional...
400 cops whatever.... my congratulations to Bikram Singh and his boys of the UP cops for the successful elimination of Ganshyam... sincere condolences to the families of the cops who lost their lives, and wishes for speedy recovery to those injured in the fray...
Comments
responses came mainly on my Facebook page....
Veeresh Malik at 18:44 on 18 June
. . . and lots of bullets as well as a few weapons go adrift?
Teji Brar at 19:15 on 18 June
At least they didn't have to call in the NSG
Ayonam Ray at 23:23 on 18 June
Was it due to lack of training or lack of requisite equipment - or was it the politicians interfering, lest the skeletons of their past tumble out of Kewat's mouth?
Times Now NewsHour: What-use-is-303
http://www.timesnow.tv/Special-What-use-is-303/videoshow/4319973.cms
A single dacoit managed to hold off 400 UP policemen for 50 hours. The police were run ragged by the dacoit who completely exposed the soft underbelly of the Indian police. 400 police men armed with rifles, grenades and a bull dozer tried to bring down the dacoit's hideout.
But, yet for over 50 hours the police fought in vain. The encounter exposed the weak underbelly of the Indian police. An officer was caught on camera struggling with his 303 rifle which refused to load. And, in this process precious moments were lost. But, it's not just faulty weapons. Another police officer seemedto have ignored all safety requirements - no hemet or bullet proof jacket.
Another officer was seen gesturing, shouting instructions to his men. There was no use of walkie-talkies> Basic communications systems were not in place.
And the most embarrassing of all, the dacoit managed to escape from the rooftop of the house.
And if that wasn't enough, the police then began to engage in a chase that seemed to lack basic co-ordination.
TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami debates the issue as to why 400 policemen seemed helpless against one dacoit with Maxwell Pereira, Former Joint Commissionner of Delhi Police and B P Singhal, Former DGP, UP.
Milind, Panaji, Goa, on Times Now website says:20 Jun 2009
The Dacoit was armed only with a bolt action rifle and did not have any special training or AKs AND Explosives like terrorists of 26/11 ,Yet he managed to hold them for over 50 Hours,cause casualties and nearely escape. Hypothetically if, only these illequipped and ill trained police been used for the 26/11 attack the clearing of the TAJ would have taken THREE MONTHS INSTEAD OF THE THREE DAYS THAT THE ARMY TOOK.It is high time the Police force is overhauled and equipped and trained to handel such incidences professionally.An EXCUSE FOR A POLICE FORCE THAT WE HAVE NOW IS AN INVITATION FOR TERRORIST TO CARRY OUT ATTACKS AT WILL.
A single dacoit managed to hold off 400 UP policemen for 50 hours. The police were run ragged by the dacoit who completely exposed the soft underbelly of the Indian police. 400 police men armed with rifles, grenades and a bull dozer tried to bring down the dacoit's hideout.
But, yet for over 50 hours the police fought in vain. The encounter exposed the weak underbelly of the Indian police. An officer was caught on camera struggling with his 303 rifle which refused to load. And, in this process precious moments were lost. But, it's not just faulty weapons. Another police officer seemedto have ignored all safety requirements - no hemet or bullet proof jacket.
Another officer was seen gesturing, shouting instructions to his men. There was no use of walkie-talkies> Basic communications systems were not in place.
And the most embarrassing of all, the dacoit managed to escape from the rooftop of the house.
And if that wasn't enough, the police then began to engage in a chase that seemed to lack basic co-ordination.
TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami debates the issue as to why 400 policemen seemed helpless against one dacoit with Maxwell Pereira, Former Joint Commissionner of Delhi Police and B P Singhal, Former DGP, UP.
Milind, Panaji, Goa, on Times Now website says:20 Jun 2009
The Dacoit was armed only with a bolt action rifle and did not have any special training or AKs AND Explosives like terrorists of 26/11 ,Yet he managed to hold them for over 50 Hours,cause casualties and nearely escape. Hypothetically if, only these illequipped and ill trained police been used for the 26/11 attack the clearing of the TAJ would have taken THREE MONTHS INSTEAD OF THE THREE DAYS THAT THE ARMY TOOK.It is high time the Police force is overhauled and equipped and trained to handel such incidences professionally.An EXCUSE FOR A POLICE FORCE THAT WE HAVE NOW IS AN INVITATION FOR TERRORIST TO CARRY OUT ATTACKS AT WILL.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Cops fudge to 'check' crime
Google News Alert for: Maxwell Pereira
Cops fudge to 'check' crime
Times of India - New Delhi,India
... while the victim loses confidence in the police". Former joint commissioner of police Maxwell Pereira agrees, saying "such practices need to be exposed".
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Cops-fudge-to-check-crime/articleshow/4668550.cm
Times of India: Delhi
Cops fudge to 'check' crime
18 Jun 2009, Rahul Tripathi , TNN
NEW DELHI: For 25-year-old city executive Abhishek Rana, a journey to Meerut on the night of May 23 turned into a nightmare. Overpowered in his own car and robbed of his belongings at Sarai Kale Khan, Rana was taken aback when he went to the cops. Instead of lodging a complaint, the police allegedly insisted that he provide a written statement saying his belongings were stolen while he was relieving himself by the roadside.
Speaking to Times City, Rana said, "The cops at Sarai Kale Khan asked me to write a complaint saying that I had stopped the car. But that was not the case.'' And Rana is not alone. It appears that Delhi Police, in an attempt to keep the spiralling robbery figures under control, at least on paper, is refusing to record robbery cases, or showing them as thefts and snatchings. The practice is quite old.
In April, when a 25-year-old teacher was robbed of her belongings by armed assailants in Timarpur and she lodged a complaint at Dwarka, the cops registered a case of snatching. The IPC sections for snatchings and theft do not fall in the "heinous'' category.
In the latest incident at Mehrauli on Tuesday night, a collection agent was robbed by two bike-borne robbers. Victim Ravinder Kumar was carrying Rs 4 lakh in cash and was robbed at gunpoint. Though clearly a case of robbery, the Mehrauli police registered a case of theft.
Similarly, when a truck was looted in Mehrauli on June 11, the police registered a case of theft. They asked the truck driver to lodge a complaint stating he was relieving himself when four persons drove away his truck. The men had actually forced the driver to stop and overpowered him. They later dumped him at an isolated place.
Another instance was the arrest of Ravi Kapoor and his gang members, who were held for the Jigeesha Ghosh and Soumya Vishwanathan murders in March this year. Kapoor and his men were reportedly involved in another case at Delhi Cantonment where they had robbed a man who was going to the airport during the wee hours of March 9. But the police had registered a case of theft and claimed to have solved it with the arrest of Kapoor and four others.
Commissioner Y S Dadwal told TOI that "if something like this comes to our knowledge, we will take corrective measures. We have been able to so far solve 89 per cent of cases...a few such instances did come to light but we immediately took corrective measures.''
Former Delhi Police chief Ajai Raj Sharma believes "the best way to control crime is to register it'' because otherwise it helps the criminal while the victim loses confidence in the police''. Former joint commissioner of police Maxwell Pereira agrees, saying "such practices need to be exposed''.
Cops fudge to 'check' crime
Times of India - New Delhi,India
... while the victim loses confidence in the police". Former joint commissioner of police Maxwell Pereira agrees, saying "such practices need to be exposed".
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Cops-fudge-to-check-crime/articleshow/4668550.cm
Times of India: Delhi
Cops fudge to 'check' crime
18 Jun 2009, Rahul Tripathi , TNN
NEW DELHI: For 25-year-old city executive Abhishek Rana, a journey to Meerut on the night of May 23 turned into a nightmare. Overpowered in his own car and robbed of his belongings at Sarai Kale Khan, Rana was taken aback when he went to the cops. Instead of lodging a complaint, the police allegedly insisted that he provide a written statement saying his belongings were stolen while he was relieving himself by the roadside.
Speaking to Times City, Rana said, "The cops at Sarai Kale Khan asked me to write a complaint saying that I had stopped the car. But that was not the case.'' And Rana is not alone. It appears that Delhi Police, in an attempt to keep the spiralling robbery figures under control, at least on paper, is refusing to record robbery cases, or showing them as thefts and snatchings. The practice is quite old.
In April, when a 25-year-old teacher was robbed of her belongings by armed assailants in Timarpur and she lodged a complaint at Dwarka, the cops registered a case of snatching. The IPC sections for snatchings and theft do not fall in the "heinous'' category.
In the latest incident at Mehrauli on Tuesday night, a collection agent was robbed by two bike-borne robbers. Victim Ravinder Kumar was carrying Rs 4 lakh in cash and was robbed at gunpoint. Though clearly a case of robbery, the Mehrauli police registered a case of theft.
Similarly, when a truck was looted in Mehrauli on June 11, the police registered a case of theft. They asked the truck driver to lodge a complaint stating he was relieving himself when four persons drove away his truck. The men had actually forced the driver to stop and overpowered him. They later dumped him at an isolated place.
Another instance was the arrest of Ravi Kapoor and his gang members, who were held for the Jigeesha Ghosh and Soumya Vishwanathan murders in March this year. Kapoor and his men were reportedly involved in another case at Delhi Cantonment where they had robbed a man who was going to the airport during the wee hours of March 9. But the police had registered a case of theft and claimed to have solved it with the arrest of Kapoor and four others.
Commissioner Y S Dadwal told TOI that "if something like this comes to our knowledge, we will take corrective measures. We have been able to so far solve 89 per cent of cases...a few such instances did come to light but we immediately took corrective measures.''
Former Delhi Police chief Ajai Raj Sharma believes "the best way to control crime is to register it'' because otherwise it helps the criminal while the victim loses confidence in the police''. Former joint commissioner of police Maxwell Pereira agrees, saying "such practices need to be exposed''.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
A Forensic tale with an exquisite twist....
Ritambra Prakash, my former personal assistant, came across this interesting story and sent it to me. I am reproducing it.
At the 1994 annual awards dinner given for Forensic Science, AAFS President Dr. Don Harper Mills astounded his audience with the legal complications of a bizarre death.
Here is the story:
On March 23, 1994 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head. Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a ten-storey building intending to commit suicide. He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency.
As he fell past the ninth floor his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window, which killed him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had planned.
“Ordinarily,” Dr Mills continued, “A person who sets out to commit suicide and ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he intended, is still defined as committing suicide.” That Mr. Opus was shot on the way to certain death, but probably would not have been successful because of the safety net, caused the medical examiner to feel that he had a homicide on his hands.
The room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. They were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun. The man was so upset that when he pulled the trigger he completely missed his wife and the pellets went through the window striking Mr. Opus.
When one intends to kill subject “A” but kills subject “B” in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject “B.” When confronted with the murder charge the old man and his wife were both adamant and both said that they thought the shotgun was unloaded. The old man said it was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, if the gun had been accidentally loaded.
The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple’s son loading the shotgun about six weeks prior to the fatal accident. It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son’s financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.
Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn’t actually pull the trigger. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.
Now comes the exquisite twist.
Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus. He had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother’s murder. This led him to jump off the ten-storey building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the ninth storey window. The son had actually murdered himself so the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.
Note:....a Google search told me that the story is only partially true… Mr Mills did tell the story .. but the story itself is not true…though it is fascinating indeed. It has been circling around since 1994..
More info on this is available at…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Opus
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/opus.asp
At the 1994 annual awards dinner given for Forensic Science, AAFS President Dr. Don Harper Mills astounded his audience with the legal complications of a bizarre death.
Here is the story:
On March 23, 1994 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head. Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a ten-storey building intending to commit suicide. He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency.
As he fell past the ninth floor his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window, which killed him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had planned.
“Ordinarily,” Dr Mills continued, “A person who sets out to commit suicide and ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he intended, is still defined as committing suicide.” That Mr. Opus was shot on the way to certain death, but probably would not have been successful because of the safety net, caused the medical examiner to feel that he had a homicide on his hands.
The room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. They were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun. The man was so upset that when he pulled the trigger he completely missed his wife and the pellets went through the window striking Mr. Opus.
When one intends to kill subject “A” but kills subject “B” in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject “B.” When confronted with the murder charge the old man and his wife were both adamant and both said that they thought the shotgun was unloaded. The old man said it was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, if the gun had been accidentally loaded.
The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple’s son loading the shotgun about six weeks prior to the fatal accident. It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son’s financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.
Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn’t actually pull the trigger. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.
Now comes the exquisite twist.
Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus. He had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother’s murder. This led him to jump off the ten-storey building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the ninth storey window. The son had actually murdered himself so the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.
Note:....a Google search told me that the story is only partially true… Mr Mills did tell the story .. but the story itself is not true…though it is fascinating indeed. It has been circling around since 1994..
More info on this is available at…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Opus
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/opus.asp
Monday, 8 June 2009
After Waterboarding: How to Make Terrorists Talk? - TIME
That application of 'third degree' in our own police forces remains an unfortunate fact. What is even more unfortunate is the belief propounded by even senior officers that it is necessary and cannot be done away. Perhaps this article may help change this all prevalent faith in such methods.
From the Time Magazine...
29 May 2009 ... With the US scrapping harsh interrogation techniques like waterboarding, interviews with former interrogators reveal why a soft touch can ...
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1901491,00.html
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
AP
The most successful interrogation of an Al-Qaeda operative by U.S. officials required no sleep deprivation, no slapping or "walling" and no waterboarding. All it took to soften up Abu Jandal, who had been closer to Osama bin Laden than any other terrorist ever captured, was a handful of sugar-free cookies.
The most successful interrogation of an Al-Qaeda operative by U.S. officials required no sleep deprivation, no slapping or "walling" and no waterboarding. All it took to soften up Abu Jandal, who had been closer to Osama bin Laden than any other terrorist ever captured, was a handful of sugar-free cookies.
Abu Jandal had been in a Yemeni prison for nearly a year when Ali Soufan of the FBI and Robert McFadden of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service arrived to interrogate him in the week after 9/11. Although there was already evidence that al-Qaeda was behind the attacks, American authorities needed conclusive proof, not least to satisfy skeptics like Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, whose support was essential for any action against the terrorist organization. U.S. intelligence agencies also needed a better understanding of al-Qaeda's structure and leadership. Abu Jandal was the perfect source: the Yemeni who grew up in Saudi Arabia had been bin Laden's chief bodyguard, trusted not only to protect him but also to put a bullet in his head rather than let him be captured.
Abu Jandal's guards were so intimidated by him, they wore masks to hide their identities and begged visitors not to refer to them by name in his presence. He had no intention of cooperating with the Americans; at their first meetings, he refused even to look at them and ranted about the evils of the West. Far from confirming al-Qaeda's involvement in 9/11, he insisted the attacks had been orchestrated by Israel's Mossad. While Abu Jandal was venting his spleen, Soufan noticed that he didn't touch any of the cookies that had been served with tea: "He was a diabetic and couldn't eat anything with sugar in it." At their next meeting, the Americans brought him some sugar-free cookies, a gesture that took the edge off Abu Jandal's angry demeanor. "We had showed him respect, and we had done this nice thing for him," Soufan recalls. "So he started talking to us instead of giving us lectures."
It took more questioning, and some interrogators' sleight of hand, before the Yemeni gave up a wealth of information about al-Qaeda — including the identities of seven of the 9/11 bombers — but the cookies were the turning point. "After that, he could no longer think of us as evil Americans," Soufan says. "Now he was thinking of us as human beings."
Soufan, now an international-security consultant, has emerged as a powerful critic of the George W. Bush — era interrogation techniques; he has testified against them in congressional hearings and is an expert witness in cases against detainees. He has described the techniques as "borderline torture" and "un-American." His larger argument is that methods like waterboarding are wholly unnecessary — traditional interrogation methods, a combination of guile and graft, are the best way to break down even the most stubborn subjects. He told a recent hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee that it was these methods, not the harsh techniques, that prompted al-Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah to give up the identities of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-confessed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and "dirty bomber" Jose Padilla. Bush Administration officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, had previously claimed that Abu Zubaydah supplied that information only after he was waterboarded. But Soufan says once the rough treatment began — administered by CIA-hired private contractors with no interrogation experience — Abu Zubaydah actually stopped cooperating.
The debate over the CIA's interrogation techniques and their effectiveness has intensified since President Barack Obama's decision to release Bush Administration memos authorizing the use of waterboarding and other harsh methods. Defenders of the Bush program, most notably Cheney, say the use of waterboarding produced actionable intelligence that helped the U.S. disrupt terrorist plots. But the experiences of officials like Soufan suggest that the utility of torture is limited at best and counterproductive at worst. Put simply, there's no definitive evidence that torture works.
The crucial question going forward is, What does? How does an interrogator break down a hardened terrorist without using violence? TIME spoke with several interrogators who have worked for the U.S. military as well as others who have recently retired from the intelligence services (the CIA and FBI turned down requests for interviews with current staffers). All agreed with Soufan: the best way to get intelligence from even the most recalcitrant subject is to apply the subtle arts of interrogation rather than the blunt instruments of torture. "There is nothing intelligent about torture," says Eric Maddox, an Army staff sergeant whose book Mission: Black List #1 chronicles his interrogations in Iraq that ultimately led to the capture of Saddam Hussein. "If you have to inflict pain, then you've lost control of the situation, the subject and yourself."
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