Goan rhapsody continues…..

But before I do that, a brief background on Goa’s political set-up and its history and on how I found my way to Goa.

After its liberation from Portuguese rule in 1961— fourteen years after the rest of India won its independence from the British—Goa was governed by the federal government as a Union territory (UT) and therefore was a part of the Union territory cadre of the All India Services. Delhi, Pondicherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram were the other constituents of the cadre. Goa was granted statehood in 1987 and so were the two north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. The UT cadre was rechristened as the AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union territories) cadre, to which I was allotted on joining the IPS.

Quite early in my career (1980–82), I served in Arunachal as a superintendent of police of Kameng district with my headquarters at Bomdila. I was later posted to Mizoram in January 2004 as inspector general of police (IGP). Thereafter I moved to Goa as the DGP in November 2005. I lasted for barely eleven months there, during which time I had several encounters with local political leaders that provoked their ire. I wish to share a few snapshots of such interactions as the head of the Goa Police.

Having served in the Delhi Police and the CBI for the major part of my career, serving in Goa felt different and onerous, as the police are directly under the political leadership of the state. Political interference awaits the police at all levels, almost on a daily basis. From recruitment of constables and sub-inspectors to their placement and day- to-day functioning, meddling by politicos is commonplace. Non-compliance of their demands by the police, and perhaps by any public servant, is taken as a personal affront.

To be continued….