Dec 14, 1998
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UTTAR PRADESH Toy Soldiers The chief minister's securitymen are found unfit by a study. But rather than antagonise them and risk an information leak, Kalyan scuttles the investigaion. By Subhash Mishra It was intended to be an exercise that would help bolster security for Chief Minister Kalyan Singh in the state. In the wake of the increasing threat perception on his life, the state police decided to subject personnel in his first-security cordon to stringent physical and psychological tests. The result: most of the personnel failed to meet standards.
Appearances can indeed be deceptive. According to Ashima Singh, executive director of the Psycho-Technical Directorate (PTD) of the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under the Ministry of Railways which was commissioned to conduct the tests, "The morale of the Uttar Pradesh Police is miserably low." Twenty personal security officers (PSOs) in Kalyan's inner security ring underwent the psychological tests. Of them only three could qualify, that too with difficulty. "This information is not correct," claims ADG (Intelligence and Security) Himanshu Kumar. Yet an intelligence officer says, "This is just the tip of the iceberg. If the chief minister's securitymen are unfit to perform their duties, what about the efficiency of those protecting the others like Mulayam and Mayawati?" The PSOs sat through12 tests conducted by the PTD to ascertain traits like intelligence, concentration, power of observation, vigilance, ability to make quick decisions, motivation, emotional stability, vigour, mental endurance, susceptibility to fatigue, ego strength, sense of responsibility and team work. It was found that most of the personnel had negative traits which could play havoc at the time of crisis-management. "Though the population examined is too small, an important trend is being reported," says the PTD report. "The level of motivation is comparatively low amongst the candidates. Another important factor which has emerged from the tests is the lack of proper leadership." The psycho-technical tests were followed by the physical tests. Shockingly, not one of the 100 PSOs tested could hit the target from a specified distance in a specified time limit. "The results sent shivers down the backs of top security officers," says a senior police officer. He also admits that it was the first time in the recent past that firing tests were conducted in a professional manner. "Till last year, most of the police personnel were getting more than 90 per cent marks in firing tests," he says, adding that marks were often manipulated. The PSOs were apparently being given a second chance "to either perform or perish" when the Chief Minister's Office stepped in and closed the lid on the tests. According to an intelligence officer the affected PSOs, who have been with Kalyan for a long time, somehow managed to convince the chief minister not to take action against them. Aware that by antagonising them he would be risking the leakage of vital information about his links and movements, Kalyan nipped the study in the bud. Additional Director-General (Crime) Ajay Raj Sharma, who was scheduled to visit the RDSO and formalise the tie-up with PTD for further tests, also cancelled his plans. Thus the first-ever experiment of competency-based placement in the police was given a burial. As per the initial plan, Kalyan's security cordon at his 5 Kalidas Marg residence and office was to have been strengthened depending on the outcome of the tests. The Intelligence and Security Wing wanted to implement a set of stringent security rules at these two locations, following information it received about the threat from Shri Prakash Shukla, the dreaded don who was killed in an encounter later. Kalyan's move in retaining unfit security personnel and risking lives is not the only issue vexing the Intelligence and Security Wing. Earlier, the Security Review Committee, comprising senior officers from the intelligence, police and home departments, had strongly recommended Z-category security -- for whatever it is worth -- to Rajnath Singh, the state president of the ruling BJP, who it said was a "potential target for some underworld dons and his political foes". The file still awaits the chief minister's approval. "We are perturbed over the chief minister's attitude towards his party colleague. While so many less significant persons are moving with Z-category security, Singh who faces a threat to his life is not getting what is due to him," says an SP-rank officer. There are other factors too. Dozens of police personnel can be seen moving around with assault rifles like AK-47 but the fact is cartridges for this gun are not available with the state police for training purposes. Those carrying the rifles have never been trained in the use of the sophisticated weapon. In the event of an attack on a VVIP, the police personnel cannot thus be expected to retaliate with the required swiftness or accuracy. Similarly, those armed with the .38 "special security weapon" have not practised on their weapons for years. "They are simply carrying them as toy guns with cosmetic value," says an intelligence officer. The Uttar Pradesh Police, it seems, are still playing GI Joe. |
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What followed was all the more startling. Before
the axe could fall on the "inefficient and incapable force" and more tests could
scrutinise the security teams of other VVIPs, the chief minister curiously intervened and
ordered that the tests be abandoned. Effectively this meant that over 60 VVIPs in the
state, including Kalyan, former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and former chief
minister Mayawati, would continue to be manned by personnel unfit for the high-risk job.
The awe-inspiring, gun-totting policemen -- they number around 5,000 -- surrounding them,
it seems, are mere decorative pieces. 
