Only we know what we went through

Illegal orders for detention under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) were generally communicated to DMs, who asked the police to furnish grounds for such detentions. I never furnished any such report unless there were legitimate grounds, thereby often incurring the wrath of higher-ups. I even appeared before chief ministers at Lucknow to explain my position.

While I was posted at Gorakhpur, the police was required to furnish a cooked up report for the detention of Mahant Avaidyanath of the Gorakhnath Temple. He was an MLA at that point. There was nothing on police records against him. Since we were being pressurised repeatedly, on my suggestion, the DM and I met the chief minister, H.N. Bahuguna, who indicated his helplessness since the orders had emanated from the PM’s house. Although pressure for the arrest persisted, I ensured that no fabricated report was furnished. I cannot forget that day in 1976, on the eve of my departure from Gorakhpur, when the mahant met me with tears of gratitude in his eyes.

Neither can I forget the occasion when Sanjay Gandhi drove down from Varanasi to Allahabad, and many ministers of UP, some MPs, MLAs and other political leaders of the Congress, led by then chief minister, N.D. Tiwari, were lined up at the border of the Allahabad-Varanasi districts to receive him. Allahabad had been spruced up as never before. The memory of the obsequious behaviour of senior politicians toward a young man who had no official position is still alive. At about midnight, came the thunder-bolt. The CM casually handed over a piece of paper with the names of six persons to be detained under MISA. The list included names of the ex-chairman, Land Development Board, UP, and two advocates — one a MP and the other an MLC. As far as I can recall, their only fault was that they were close to Bahuguna, who had been removed from the chief ministership by then. I stood my ground and the police did not furnish the desired false report.

Another issue, which brought us under great pressure, was the misuse of the police force to coerce men of all ages into undergoing family planning operations. I never provided any policemen for this purpose. We found it difficult to persuade policemen to undergo vasectomies. Recognising the seriousness of the population problem and finding no alternative, I volunteered to undergo the operation first, at quiet a young age.

There were other instances too, like the persistent pressure to let the chief works manager of a factory, who had been arrested for causing deaths and injuries, off the hook. He had access to the PM, but I did not yield to the almost unbearable pressure. There was also a blatant attempt made to subvert the electoral process. Three very senior officers of the government visited Allahabad to assess the prospects of Congress candidates in the Lok Sabha polls of 1977. One of them — a powerful functionary in the PMO — wanted us to help party’s candidates. We rejected this suggestion outright and ensured a free, fair and peaceful poll. All the three Congress candidates were defeated.

It is very easy to narrate such incidents now. But only we, who stood our ground to enforce the rule of law against very heavy odds, know the mental agony, tension and even humiliation we had to undergo.

The writer is a former Director General of Police, UP