‘Al-Falah shouldn’t have existed’

First, Pahalgam, then Delhi, two major terror-related incidents within eight months have shocked the nation. Are there lapses on our part, or is there something else driving this surge? Vikram Singh, former UP DGP, decodes the dichotomy in an interaction with Anurag Kumar of The Statesman.

In 1974, Singh joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) and held the post of Director General of Police (DGP) in Uttar Pradesh from June 2007 to September 2009. He retired in May 2010. He was awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry in 1986. Edited excerpts:

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Q. There has been a spike in terror-related activities in India. Are there lapses at the Intelligence level, or is it a failure of policing at the ground level?

A: Every terror attack is a cause of great concern and introspection. And there cannot be anything that is cent percent perfect. We should assess ourselves and identify our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Every such incident should pass through a stringent SWOT analysis. You mentioned Pahalgam and Delhi. I would be living in a fool’s paradise and would not be doing my duty if I could say that everything was well under control and the terrorist got a bloody nose. No, it is not that. In Pahalgam, there were multiple security failures. The district authorities, perhaps, were blissfully unaware , and the reinforcements and the QRT (quick response team) were not there. As far as the Delhi blast is concerned, yes we could have done much better. Al-Falah University, its recognition, its starting, and its initiation all have a huge question mark. Such a university should never have come about. The promoters have served for three years in Tihar. And then all the accreditations and the approvals are basically fake.

Q. How do you assess India’s current in terminal securiy environment?

A: I deem it to be A+++. It could not have been better. Never has internal security been as robust as it is today. Naxalism is almost at its end, breathing its last. You have this unfortunate incident on 10th November (Delhi blast). It was the first-of-its-kind in 14 years. I would say the last Delhi blast was in September 2011. And this is the first blast after that. Therefore, I would say that we are working on it. We are working on Pahalgam. Q. Has the nature of terrorism evolved recently, and how are security agencies dealing with it? A: Shifting of gears is the standard operating procedure of all terrorist organisations. Jaish-e-Mohammad and Azhar Masood are known to be shifting gears. They have a 24X7 R&D (research and development) wing. It was a devious and malicious game to hire radicalised doctors. You can see how devious the minds of terrorists are, how the mind of a terrorist works.

Q. Are there still lapses between the Centre and states when it comes to Intelligence sharing?

A: The Intelligence Bureau, RAW, and other intelligence agencies have a robust system of exchange of intelligence. But there are certain states, primarily like Kerala and West Bengal, which perhaps would be very reticent and reluctant to share intelligence for obvious political reasons. Q. Do you t h i n k India is adequately prepared for coordinated multi-city terror strikes? A: Very much! locations of NSG camps and paramilitary forces all over are fully geared to take on any misadventure planned by the terrorist organisations.

Q. What reforms are most urgently needed in India’s policing system?

A: Firstly there is Prakash Singh vs Union of India, the seven points given by the Honourable Supreme Court in the year 2006. Now, it has been almost 20 years since the judgment was passed. It should have been the law of the land. Let us faithfully implement what was given by the Supreme Court – the model police code. Also, there should be security of tenure of all field officers, starting from the station house officers to the DGP. Also, extra budget. Futuristic technologies like machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Augmented Reality should be part of the curriculum now. The days of the ‘lathi’ and ‘danda’ (sticks) are over.

Q. How big a challenge is misinformation and propaganda posing to national security?

A. The fake news, disinformation, and absolute lies seem to have overtaken social media. A smaller percentage of the population is now reading the newspapers daily. So, they are being fed by social media. Therefore, I would say that cyber patrolling, social media patrolling, which has been started by Uttar Pradesh and many other states, is not only a requirement, but it is a compulsion today.

Q. What lessons has India learned from its past terror attacks?

A: Every terror attack has its own set of questions and its lessons drawn. Complacency has no place in policing today. You should anticipate and be prepared for a worst-case scenario. The response time has to be minimal. Your systems and procedures should be in place to prevent panic, apprehend the culprits, and restore normalcy. A lot more needs to be done, and we have miles to go before we sleep. Last but not least, the technology. You see, the type of technology the terrorists are using today, the police will have to be at least a generation ahead of them. Otherwise, the police will lose the game.

Q. After decades in policing, what one ‘weakness’ in the Indian security apparatus concerns you the most?

A: Corruption. If there is one thing that is even worse than corruption, it is complacency. You see the two incidents that you have in Pahalgam and Delhi, it is complacency. Nothing is going to happen to me. Nothing is going to happen here. And in the process, we allowed the grass to grow underneath our feet. We allowed those undesired elements to have a base and a launching pad in Al-Falah University. The university got its approvals from three successive governments. What were the compulsions? Was it corruption, complacency, or both? I mean, nothing shocks and surprises me any longer. I could tell you that policing is a full-time job. There is no possibility of making reels or going for fashion shows. If you are so passionate about your social life, then the police is not a job for you.

Q. Do you think there is an improvement in UP’s law and order under Yogi Adityanath?

A. Adityanath said “mitti mein mila dunga” (will reduce to dust) for mafias, and he literally did that…Atiq, Ashraf, and all are reduced to dust. Q. India has declared the Delhi blast a terror attack. Do you think we are close to another war with Pakistan? A. If anybody has ventured into the unknown and dialled the wrong number, well, there will b e consequences. And the nation would be very much prepared for Operation Sindoor 2. That is on the cards. But whether it be Pakistan, Bangladesh, or both, that remains to be seen. But I am sure there will b e consequences.