A courteous officer's farewell without `hurt or rancour'

By B.S.Ramesh

BANGALORE, JUNE 30. "My only regret during my service as an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer is that the poacher, Veerappan, is still at large," the former Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, Mr. T.Srinivasulu, said.

A 1964-batch IPS officer, Mr. Srinivasulu, who is now the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation (KSPHC), will be laying down office on Friday after 36 years of service.

Mr. Srinivasulu, who values "simplicity, sobriety and courtesy", gives the impression of being a humble person. This made him widely regarded as a gentleman first and police officer next.

Mr. Srinivasulu has served in several posts such as the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Intelligence), the Additional Director-General of Police (Intelligence), the Additional Director-General of Police (Prisons), and the Commissioner of Police, Bangalore.

When the Patel government promoted him to the post of the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Srinivasulu superseded several of his seniors such as Mr. Subhas Chandra, Mr. C.Dinakar and Dr. K.Sreenivasan. His promotion followed the brief but stormy tenure of Mr. Durai in the post. Mr. Durai was sent on Central deputation as the Director-General of Police, Railway Police Force, as the then Government reportedly found him "tough" to deal with.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dinakar filed a case against the Government in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) challenging the appointment of Mr. Srinivasulu. When the CAT rejected Mr. Dinakar's contention, he moved the High Court and won the case by arguing on his own.

Mr. Srinvasulu maintained silence all through the two-year-long legal battle between the Government and Mr. Dinakar. Once Mr. Dinakar was appointed to his post, Mr. Srinivasulu handed over charge without any rancour.

Recalling the events, Mr. Srinivasulu says he received a call from the then Chief Secretary stating that Mr. Dinakar was appointed Director-General and Inspector-General of Police. Asked when he could hand over charge, Mr. Srinivasulu said he was willing to do so immediately. After handing over charge to Mr. Dinakar the following day, Mr. Srinivasulu took over as the Chairman and Managing Director of the KSPHC.

Taking pains to dispel any notion that the turn of events hurt him, Mr. Srinivasulu says he enjoyed working in the State and had an excellent rapport with his colleagues, the people and the politicians. "My work in Karnataka in different capacities has given me immense satisfaction. The people here are among the best I have seen, and if there is a rebirth I would like to be born in Karnataka. If at all I have any regret, it is about not nabbing Veerappan," he says.

Karnataka is a State with very few problems, according to Mr. Srinivasulu. "The people are good and the police force is among the best compared to other States". Recalling his stint as the Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Mr. Srinvasulu says that even in the agency, Karnataka was perceived to be a crime-free and insurgency-free State.

Interestingly, not many know that Mr. Srinivasulu was the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Bangalore, when the Emergency was in force for 19 months between 1975 and 1977. He arrested Mr. A.B.Vajpayee, Mr. L.K.Advani, Mr. Madhu Dandavate and Mr. S.N.Mishra from various hotels in the City, and Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde from his house, and lodged them at the Central Jail, Bangalore. The Opposition leaders had assembled in Bangalore to participate in a discussion on the Anti-Defection Bill.

When Emergency was in force, 140 persons were arrested under the Defence of India Rules (DIR) and a few under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), he recounts. Two of those who were arrested were Mr. K.N.V.Rao of Malleswaram, founder of the Poura Samithi and member of the Swatantra Party, and Mr. H.S.Doreswamy. Police in almost all the States were accused of brutality and highhandedness during the Emergency, but in Bangalore only a few incidents of such nature were reported.

Mr. Srinivasulu enjoyed a good working relationship with all the six Chief Ministers under whom he served. Expressing gratitude to the people of the State, Mr. Srinivasulu says that Kannadigas are among the best of people, and the day is not far off when Bangalore will catch up with the rest of world in science and technology.

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