Adieu Mr Das, welcome Mr Ahmed : Change, the only constant in life
- Sangai Express Editorial :: December 02 , 2013 -

The only constant in life is change. And so it is that Manipur now has a new DGP in the person of Mr Shahid Ahmed following the retirement of Mr MK Das. Routine stuff, nothing extraordinary.

However it is significant to note the immense interest generated by the change of guard at the highest post in the State Police Department with social networking sites such as Facebook choc-a-bloc with comments on the retirement of MK Das.

Too short a time, is the common refrain and top this up with the petitions from numerous eminent personalities of the State, urging for an extension of the service of Mr Das and it should be clear that the retired police official did manage to strike a chord with the sentiments and feelings of the common people.

The Sangai Express did not explicitly endorse the call to extend the service of Mr Das to respect the point that it was not on record that the former DGP personally sought an extension from the Government.

Too short a time, was all that The Sangai Express had said and our stand would have been clear to all those who read between the lines.

Soft spoken but not weak, a sign that police officials can be tough without being arrogant. A one line statement that sums up the person as well as the police officer in Mr Das.

Foot patrolling at night by police personnel including high ranking officers, proposal to set up a separate Police Recruitment Board, keeping the strength of the State Police Commandos at its prescribed level and yes the parting shot-AFSPA not needed to tackle law and order.

The change in jail administration, before he was catapulted to the office of DGP, came during his time as Additional DGP Prisons, of course ably and efficiently aided by his subordinate staff, prominently the SSP of Jail, Mr IK Muivah.

This was Mr Das during his 90 days in office as DGP and earlier as Additional DGP in charge of Prisons.

Not everything was hunky dory during his days in office, though.

There were bomb blasts galore, claiming the lives of many innocent people, the most glaring examples being the Nagamapal blast and the Moirangkhom blast. It did not stop there as the bomb blasts spree extended to Ukhrul district headquarters too.

An indication that an efficient man at the top is just not enough to stop all unwanted incidents.

A point that clearly underlines the fact that the Police Department cannot be a one man show, but is an institution, where team work cannot be overlooked.

A new man, Mr Shahid Ahmed is now at the helm of affairs. Comparison would be unfair and uncalled for.

However certain things need to be kept in mind.

With the Supreme Court constituting the Santosh Hegde Committee to study and investigate allegations of fake encounters, the task ahead will not be easy for Mr Ahmed by any yardstick.

There is also the question of political interference in the working of the police department and it will be interesting to see how the new DGP manage to walk the tight rope.

Another extra baggage that Mr Ahmed has to deal with is the growing groupism within the police set up, each owing allegiance to one group or the other.

Not official but unofficial yet ‘officially’ acknowledged within the State police set up.

The genesis of this groupism or formation of cliques within the State Police Department dates back many years, and it would be a nice change if the new man at the top manages or at least try to break this scourge.

These are some of the immediate points which should merit the attention of the new DGP.

Mr Das is no longer in office now, yet it is significant to note that during his very brief stint, he did manage to convey the message that he was there to try and make a difference.

Not withstanding the recent suggestion of the Supreme Court of India that there should be fixed tenure for officers occupying key positions, Mr Das during his very brief stint as the DGP did show that tenure in office may not necessarily be the underlining factor to measure the performance of a Government employee.

Adieu Mr Das and welcome Mr Ahmed.