The police killing of 5 unarmed innocents, including a toddler, in Orissa’s Kandhamal district highlights the decay in the security setup in this state. The battle against the Left Wing Extremists (LWE) is, no doubt, a vicious and bitter struggle for the Establishment. Without proper uniformed and colour coded enemies, it is becoming extremely difficult for the state to fight informal battles. Added to this is the pitiable condition of intel feedback available to the security forces.
While seeking a political solution to the LWE problem has come to naught till now, blaming any political party for failure to do so is also not a solution. Similarly, while condemning the careless action of the police in the strongest possible term, it is also imperative for all of us to try and understand the strain and stress that must be heavy on the armed forces living in the jungles and fighting the indiscernible enemy.
Yet, the condemnation can never be enough because Orissa police seems to be failing time and again in very similar situations. Take for example the case of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Orissa police. Formed exclusively to fight the LWE, it comprises of very young personnel, mostly aged 20-24 years. These young men have been armed with some of the best weapons of the world such as AK 47 assault rifles.
They are trained in a training complex which had cost Rs50 crore to construct. The average SOG jawan gets about 60 per cent higher salary compared with his compatriot in the regular state police. Even then, the control on these jawans has been of very low quality. While 20 such jawans in the army would be led by a Captain rank officer, the SOG of the same strength would be headed by a Sub-Inspector. This man would probably be highly dissatisfied with his risky job. The SOG jawans misbehaving with village women has been a constant complaint for quite some time. Men trained with weapons but intrinsically indisciplined can create havoc.
The SOG is headed by an IG Operations who is headquartered at Bhubaneswar. With intel inputs from the Intelligence Directorate, the Strategic Command Centre monitors the SOG activities. While empathising with the stress level of the young jawans, it is not possible to ignore that this is probably the fourth such incident that has taken place within this year.
The first one was the killing of a husband and wife duo who went out looking for better reception on their mobile phone. That incident too was in Kandhamal and initially the SOG had refused to accept responsibility. The next incident was in Kalahandi where three goat herds were mercilessly mowed down by the SOG. Next incident had taken place in Nuapada where the SOG had again mistakenly killed another innocent person.
This fourth killing of innocents in the evening of July 8, 2016, in Kandhamal has greatly highlighted the inefficiencies and ineptness of the IPS officers of the Orissa police. Incapable of leading from the front or taking complete control of their armed men, the senior officers of the Orissa police cannot wish away the heinous crimes that are being committed at the ground level.
These multiple murders alarm every citizen of this state. If the IPS officers are unwilling to lead their men and the state is interested to continue battling the LWE effectively, it is high time that trained professionals such as army officers experienced in fighting terrorists are immediately roped in to take control of the SOG. If the government does not wish to take cognisance of the serious flaws in the administration of the state police and considers the citizen’s life cheap and expendable, then we are all in for a terrible time.
