Force divided over transfer

Outgoing police commissioner Khwaja Hasan Gafoor

Some Officers Blame Gafoor For 26/11 Lack Of Leadership, Others Say He Is A Scapegoat

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: There were differing opinions from both retired and serving police officers on the transfer of city police commissioner Hasan Gafoor. While a section of the police force said that Gafoor drew flak for the inadequate way the police responded to the 26/11 terror attacks, others felt that he was being made a scapegoat. “There were other senior officers who came under criticism, but were treated mildly,’’ said a police officer.

Another senior police officer was of the opinion that Gafoor had failed to act as a leader during the attack. “The team was on the field and instructions were coming in bits and pieces. Besides, after the attack, there was no debriefing session for the officers. There was also no attempt to prepare a vision for the future, though it is true that the same could not have been completed in his tenure,’’ said the officer.

BJP’s Ramadas Kadam, opposition leader in the state legislature, had alleged that Gafoor was found ‘sleeping’ in his car near the Oberoi Hotel while the entire force was busy fighting the terrorists.

Gafoor, however, has taken the news in his stride. Brushing aside any criticism linking his transfer to the 26/11 terror strike, he said, “I am happy that I have been promoted from additional director general to director general of police. I was expecting this promotion. Why is my transfer being twisted and linked to the 26/11 strike? I led the team from the front during the attacks.’’

When asked whether his transfer could have anything to do with the Pradhan Committee Report (see box), he said, “I have not seen the Pradhan Committee Report, so it would not be proper for me to comment on this.’’ The report that looked into the terror attacks, is slated to come up before the state legislature, which meets next week.

One factor that could have probably gone against Gafoor was his initial claim that 16 locals were involved in the 26/11 conspiracy, by providing logistical support to the 11 terrorists. He retracted his statement that evening itself.

Another statement given by Gafoor about the Indian Mujahideen’s (IM) involvement in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts also created uproar, as later, the theory was rubbished by the anti-terrorism squad.

But Gafoor has his supporters. Senior retired IPS officer S S Puri said, “It would be unfair to say that his transfer was due to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. It would also be unfair to link to his transfer to the Pradhan Committee Report, as it has not been made public. If Gafoor was indicted in the report than why would he be promoted?’’

Retired police commissioner M N Singh added that there was a vacancy in Housing and Gafoor;s assignment was a promotion. “The Pradhan Committee Report is yet to be made public, so I cannot comment on it. I would not like to link Gafoor’s transfer with the committee’s report,’’ said Singh.

IPS officer-turned-lawyer, Y P Singh said that it seemed to be a one-sided action. “There were far severe allegations against other senior officers. These included the coastal security's failure to meet, not paying attention to specific intelligence, and so on. However, the commissioner of police has been made a scapegoat,’’ said Singh.

Pradhan Committee Report
After the 26/11 terror attack, the then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had asked for an inquiry into the police response. A two-member panel comprising former union secretary Ram Pradhan and retired IPS officer V Balachandran was appointed to look into the lapses following a public outcry. Though the committee was asked to submit its report in three months, it took more than the stipulated time and submitted its 100-page report to the chief minister on May 27, this year.

The Pradhan Committee Report is yet to be made public and will come up before the state legislature, which meets next week. However, it is believed to have come down heavily on the Central government for intelligence failure, as well as on the police force for poor handling of the situation. The panel’s report is based on the testimony of over 50 police officers.

Balachandran said, “We checked the logs of 5,000 calls made to the police control room. The response as well as action taken by the control room staff was satisfactory.’’

The Times of India, June 14, 2009