HT Interview | Punjabis non-radical, handful playing Pak game, says DGP Gaurav Yadav
Punjab faces law and order challenges despite three decades of peace. Police Chief Gaurav Yadav discusses recent terror threats and ongoing efforts to combat crime.
Punjab has by large been firmly in peace mode for past three decades after vanquishing of a violent extremist campaign of the ’80s. Yet, the sensitive border state still faces multiple challenges on the law-and-order front. A stark reminder this month was a failed assassination bid on a high-profile politician outside the Golden Temple and seven terror bomb attacks on police posts.
As director general of police Gaurav Yadav, a 1992-batch IPS officer well regarded for his professionalism and hands-on approach, has kept his force ahead in the game by busting a raft of terror modules and relentless crackdown on Khalistanis-gangsters nexus and drug mafia. In a wide-ranging interaction with Hindustan Times on Thursday, moderated by Executive Editor Ramesh Vinayak, he shared his end-of-the year assessment, challenges and priorities. Edited excerpts:
What is your assessment of the current law and order in Punjab?
Law and order in Punjab is among the best in the country. By all parameters, the situation is under control. All major crimes have been solved. By the standards fixed to check crimes, we are among the best when it comes to ensuring public order and tackling homicides.
The border state has seen and survived periodic attempts to revive militancy and disturb its hard-won peace. What is the worrying dimension of the disconcerting developments this year?
Yes, the recent grenade attacks must be on everyone’s mind. Punjab is a border state that has successfully fought and defeated a decade-long terrorism in the early 90s. But, post-1992 terror handlers in Pakistan and their operators in foreign countries have not given up on their nefarious designs to resurrect a violent movement here. The assassination of then chief minister Beant Singh in 1995, the 2004 Burail jailbreak, 2007 Shingar Cinema blast in Ludhiana, 2016 Nabha jailbreak, multiple targeted killings in 2016-17 that took two years to be traced, and the murders of (Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader) Vikas Bagga in Nangal and (former militant) Rattandeep Singh at Balachaur earlier this year, all show that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been making a series of attempts to rupture the social fabric of the state. The recent grenade attacks are also the result of that desperation. However, let me make it clear that I have instructed officials not to brush anything under the carpet, as in the case of a recent blast that was initially termed a tyre burst inside the (Majitha) police station.
Who is behind the blasts at police installations in border districts? What is the motive?
Pakistan is directly behind these attacks. Now there has been a change of tactic. They are targeting police stations. The idea is to create a perception that even police installations are not safe. However, we have cracked five of the eight incidents. In the remaining cases too, we have got clues and are in the process of solving them. The pattern is the same. The controllers of these attacks are sitting in Pakistan. The desperation of these Pakistan intelligence officers (PIOs) has reached such an extent that they have now started calling their contacts in Punjab directly and saying, “Kuch to karo (do something at any cost)”. They are asking their contacts to just click a photo and post it on social media to build a fake narrative that even the police are not safe. These PIOs have a network of handlers in the US, Canada, the UK and other European countries from where they operate through people who are either in jail or those previously associated with them. They are even using youngsters who are not ideologically inclined to Khalistan by luring them with money.
Many Punjab-origin gangsters based abroad are said to have joined hands with pro-Khalistan elements and Pakistan’s ISI. How serious is the challenge?
Just to trace it back, this nexus of gangsters and Khalistanis started in 2016 after the Nabha jailbreak. Before that there was clear divide between organised criminals and terrorists. Terrorists would always claim that theirs is a higher cause. After the Nabha episode, it emerged that Khalistani terrorist Harminder Singh Mintoo had indoctrinated gangsters in the prison. Since then, gangsters are easily available to them. As far as the challenge posed by this nexus, yes, it is a big task for us given the larger pool available in view of the gang culture in the state. Earlier, only radicalised youngsters would commit terror acts. At the same time, the involvement of gangsters has made it easier for us to trace these cases using their tech footprints. Being not ideologically committed, they are not a hard nut to crack.
Multiple police probes have shown that Khalistani outfits are using gullible youth and small-time criminals to create terror modules. What do you make of this trend?
It’s a big cause for concern and a challenge. But we have adopted a different approach to deal with such youngsters. In fact, in the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attack on Sarhali police station in Tarn Taran district in December 2022 , we let off six to eight youth who had played a marginal role. Under our Saanjh Project, the police are trying to rehabilitate misguided youngsters or those who are victims of drugs. We are identifying such people.
What has emerged from the police probe into the recent assassination bid on former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at Golden Temple. Was the alleged assassin Narain Singh Chaura acting as a lone wolf or was there a wider plot?
The investigation is underway. The name of one Dharam Singh has emerged in the case and he is yet to be arrested. Chaura is a hardened character. He wiped out his phone records, so we have sent it for forensic checks. From the CCTV footage, we have got clues that a couple of people were seen with him, including Dharam Singh. The case is being probed in a professional manner.
There have been questions on how Chaura, who is facing several cases related to pro-Khalistan and terror activities and has been on the radar of central intelligence agencies, was able to get so close to a Z-plus protectee?
The investigation is going on and if we find any lapse, we will be upfront about it. Every incident is a lesson for us. We have taken necessary steps after this incident, including reviewing security protocols in some cases.
There is a growing perception that radicalisation is on the rise in Punjab.
Punjabis are totally non-radicalised. The so-called radical vote share has always been two to three per cent. The common masses are not for separatism but there are a handful of people with an agenda who want to vitiate the atmosphere. Even if you speak to people sitting abroad, 90% of them would say they are against this radicalisation. But the perception created by few forces is as if Khalistan would be made in Brampton (Canada). Most people don’t speak up because of general reluctance. They remain the silent majority.
Are sleeper cells of Khalistani militants getting active again?
PIOs are desperately using their old contacts, drug conduits and espionage agents in their desperate bid to create tension in Punjab. There is intense ISI pressure on outfits they are protecting to do something.
What has been the result of Punjab Police’s all-out war against gangsterism?
In the past two years, we have had a sustained crackdown on organised crime. I won’t say we have wiped out this crime, but we are registering cases in every call of extortion or any other crime and solve it by making an example out of it. If you compare such crimes in Punjab to what is happening in Haryana and the National Capital Region (NCR), I think the lesser said the better. I don’t say things are rosy in Punjab, but the situation is not as bad as it is in other states.
Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s interview to a news channel while he was in police custody led to a raging row and action against a DSP. Some quarters interpret this episode as a pointer to the police-gangster nexus?
I won’t comment on sub-judice matters. However, I would definitely like to point out that probably the police are the only department where action has been taken (against officials) in drug-trafficking cases and involvement with gangsters.
What is your assessment on the drug menace which seems to be never-ending despite police claiming to have made record seizures?
On drugs, we have made lot of inroads. Record seizures were made this year though it is lesser than last year as the Taliban have severely cut down on opium cultivation in Afghanistan. Parallelly, there has been shift towards pharmaceutical drugs. New things, such as ICE, are also coming from Pakistan now. It’s a demand-supply game. Police can only tighten things through enforcement. The government is looking at other aspects of de-addiction and prevention, and frankly, we admit this part is weak. However, somewhere joint efforts to curb the menace is turning in the state’s favour as sportspersons from Punjab have done well in the recent Asian Games. I won’t say all is well but slowly people have started acknowledging drugs as a major challenge.
How many big drug lords are still at large?
Big ones in this trade are abroad. We have categorised around 20 people, most of whom are in the US. We have put lot of big fish of this trade active in Punjab in jail also. There has been a drop in smuggling of heroin using drones as the Border Security Force’s anti-drone technology has been a success. Of the 500 drone sightings this year, more than 250 were brought down, leading to huge losses to drug lords.
Criminals in Punjab have been found to have easy access to illegal guns made in Madhya Pradesh. Police have busted rackets but there seems to be no let-up in the flow of such weapons?
Over the last two years, we seized over 400 illegal weapons. With the help of the MP police, we arrested locals from a particular community who had set up small factories there. I won’t say the supply has stopped but we have been able to reduce it.
There have been frequent transfers of SSPs. Certain districts have seen police chiefs being shifted after mere three-month tenures. Doesn’t this hamper policing?
Most of the SSPs are having a fair (duration of) tenure. Moreover, transferring a district police chief is the prerogative of the government. Sometimes, transfers are done because the officers get promotion or go on central deputation.
Punjab has seen an upsurge in protest culture, particularly after the agitation against the three farm laws, and now there is a potential flashpoint at Shambhu. How do you look at it from the prism of law and order?
We have been able to put things on track partly with the help of (Punjab and Haryana) high court directions. We cleared land for the National Highway Authority of India project in Bathinda, where we had a face-off with Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) activists and even as we speak, more than 1,000 police personnel have been deployed to clear the land for the Gujarat gas pipeline. Our stand is clear on these agitations: Your right to protest cannot interfere with someone else’s right.
As you said, several criminals involved in organised crime and terror activities are sitting abroad. How many criminals’ extradition is the state actively seeking?
There are about eight to 10 such people. Extradition is a long-drawn-out and torturous process. Like in the case of a gangster Ramanjit Singh Romy, who masterminded the Nabha jailbreak, it took five years for his extradition from Hong Kong. Since extradition is a lengthy process, criminals sitting abroad take it easy.
Your WhatsApp group call at 8.30am daily has generated good feedback from senior officers. How has this step helped?
I hope SSPs are not complaining that they have to get up early to join this call (laughs). But this call sets the tone of the day and we get to share information from one district to another. There is a daily briefing in this call by the ADGP, intelligence, and special DGP, internal security, and special DGP, law and order, in which they give their perspectives.
After two-and-a-half years at the helm, what are key changes you initiated in the police?
My focus has been on modernisation and strengthening police stations. I try to empower the force. We have provided new vehicles to all station house officers (SHOs), and I was told this has happened for the first time after the tenure of (former DGP) KPS Gill. We have sought the recruitment of 10,000 police personnel from the government to post them at police stations.
Reported by Ravinder Vasudeva
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