Mangalore, Feb 19: Policemen today cannot say that they are concerned only with local issues. Many a times, incidents taking place at the national and international levels too have repercussions at the local level, calling the police to be alert, said Pratap Reddy, IGP (Western Range).
Speaking after inaugurating a workshop on 'National Security – Focus on Karnataka' organized by Institute of Contemporary Studies, Bangalore, at the Police Commissioner's office in Mangalore on Tuesday, Mr. Reddy said that unlike in the past, policemen cannot afford to neglect issues happening at national or international level as they have an impact locally too. The recent exodus of north-east students from Bangalore, Mangalore and Udupi is a classic example of how events happening somewhere else in the country had an effect locally, he said.
The western range is a hub of activity with respect to national security focus, Mr. Reddy said while stating that 26/11 has reinforced the need to remain aware of coastal infiltration.
Sharing his thoughts on the challenges the police force faces in maintaining security, Mr. Reddy said that unlike the armed forces, the police do not have a defined enemy. “We don't have enemies as such. We deal with deviant people from within the society itself which we are part of. The moment we cross the line, there is a huge uproar from the very same society. The armed forces are spared from the kind of criticism and uproar that we face and our operations are more complicated than those of the armed forces”, he said.
The IGP also pointed out on the occasion that although more policemen lose their lives while on duty compared to armed forces personnel, they do not get the recognition the armed forces get primarily because there is a huge gap between the way the operations of the army and the police are perceived.
Deliberating at the technical session, Prof. Bidanda Chengappa, Associate Professor, International Relations, Christ University, Bangalore, said that the Pakistani ISI threat is very much alive in Karnataka.
“Bangalore's industrial profile is phenomenal. It is the aeronautics capital of India besides being the defence science capital and a centre of science as it has the Indian Institute of Science. Karnataka has the presence of army, air force and navy. The ISI threat is very much alive in Karnataka. After electric fencing was laid along the border in states like Kashmir, Rajasthan and Gujarat, the ISI has stopped infiltrating from that side of the border and started taking Karachi-Katmandu flights to enter India via the Nepal border. So is the case with Indo-Bangla border. Once they enter the Indian territory, they have the free ticket to go to any state as our rules are not that strict in this regard”, Mr. Chengappa said, stating that Karnataka police needs to be as vulnerable to ISI activities as the Jammu and Kashmir police today.
Left wing extremism threat is also catching up big time in Karnataka, Mr. Chengappa said, while stating that the overall security scenario of Karnataka looks to be in danger.
Comments
Add new comment