The handlebar moustache, a pair of brown boots and an olive green backpack complete his look. It appears as if E.N. Rammohan, former director-general of the Border Security Force (BSF), is all set to proceed on the call of duty. At 76, Rammohan can no more do that. But his concern for soldiers at the front has not diminished a bit. Two recent incidents - one at the Line of Control and the other in Bastar - where men in uniform have taken a brutal beating, worry him.
What worries him more, though, is the chest-thumping of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It irks him to see how soldiers in this country have been made a mascot for the government. The government's constant invoking of the " veer jawan" sentiment for every issue from demonetisation to student agitations is pointless to him, probably even counterproductive. "There is so much jingoism and this is what this ruling party can best do," Rammohan says. "It ignores the real issues of internal security."
Rammohan believes the Maoist violence, one of the major issues of internal security, has been "worst handled" by the government. The recent ambush and killing of 25 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Bastar's Sukma has only strengthened his belief. The preliminary investigation team of the CRPF revealed that the men had lowered guard and were resting when the attack took place. It points out that the standard operating procedure of taking food breaks in small numbers was violated. "The CRPF has been the most poorly led force for some years; the government must look into this," Rammohan says.
In many ways the recent attack, Rammohan says, is reminiscent of the 2010 attack when more than 70 CRPF personnel were killed by Maoists near Chintalnar in Dantewada district. Rammohan headed the inquiry committee then and had found that "every rule was broken". He says, "According to the rule, when soldiers move from point A to B, they must have a road opening party (ROP) on either side to prevent an ambush. But the CRPF personnel were wandering in the night without any ROP, so they were ambushed and butchered. I fear something similar must have happened even this time. Otherwise, how do 25 men get killed at one go?"
Going by the figures, Maoist violence is on the rise since the Narendra Modi government took over. According to data produced by Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi last week, at least 442 civilians and 278 jawans have been killed in Maoist violence since BJP came to power as opposed to 367 civilians and 268 jawans from 2011 to 2014.
Rammohan says the BJP government's approach towards Maoists is as faulty as that of predecessor governments. Unlike many contemporaries who routinely appear on television screens to wage a war against Maoists, Rammohan's views are far more nuanced. "The Maoist issue is the consequence of socio-economic conflict but it has been looked at as a security issue by successive governments. Since no government has given the tribals their rights, Maoists organised them to fight the government," he explains.
He asserts that successive governments have deprived the tribals of their constitutional rights leading to the dominance of the Maoists in Bastar. He says that the state has alienated the tribals over the years as it has only eyed the mineral wealth in the tribal areas and has never been concerned about the welfare of the tribals. For years, he insists, the state has bypassed all laws and snatched away the rights of the tribals to the mineral resources of their own land.
According to the Constitution, the governor will administer the scheduled areas of the state, which are the reserve forest areas, by appointing tribes advisory councils. The councils are supposed to work for the welfare of the tribals - they are supposed to administer the mines, advertise for a mine contractor and get the contractor to start mining. At the end, the profit generated from mining should go to the panchayat, which should use the money for the development of the area. No government allows this to happen because it wants the poor tribal to be kicked off," Rammohan fumes. "Flouting all rules, the forest minister has been floating tenders for mining and when the mining contractor comes in, the profit generated from the mining is swallowed by the government," he adds as he wipes the sweat off his forehead with a chequered handkerchief.
On this sultry summer afternoon, Rammohan prefers to sit out on the lawns of Delhi's elite India International Centre rather than inside the air-conditioned restaurant. Dressed in red-checked half sleeves, he looks younger than his age. The string attached to his mobile phone - not a smartphone, mind you - is tucked securely inside his shirt pocket. These days his phone has been ringing incessantly - many television channels want him to speak on the recent beheading of two soldiers by the Pakistani forces on the Line of Control. They want to ask him how India should respond.
India has already warned Pakistan of an "unequivocal response" and there is speculation over another "surgical strike" like the one last September. Rammohan says that surgical strikes have happened even earlier, last year was not the first time they happened, as claimed by the government. "Surgical strike means entering into your enemy's territory and killing their soldiers. This has happened earlier too; there is nothing new about it."
Surgical strike or not, Rammohan believes Pakistanis should get a taste of their own medicine. So a counter-attack is important, he asserts. Narrating one such incident during his stint as the Inspector-General (BSF) in Kashmir between 1993 and 1995, he says, "Once, two of our soldiers were beheaded by the Pakistani forces on the Line of Control. To avenge their deaths, two of our Naga soldiers beheaded three Pakistani soldiers. For the next two years, Pakistani forces didn't bother us much. This is the only answer to their brutality. That's exactly what we should do even now."
But he stresses that the government should not be harsh on Kashmiris; it should deal with the Kashmiris with a little more compassion, instead. He finds fresh images of students coming out in school uniforms to pelt police with stones on the streets of Kashmir disturbing and insists that the government's anti-Muslim approach needs to be changed.
"The anti-Muslim and Hindutva approach of BJP in Kashmir is damaging," he argues, "You have to tell the public of Kashmir that you are above all religion. Once you give the feeling that you are pro-Hindu, you cannot operate in that place," he says.
Rammohan lays the blame for poor handling of Kashmir on National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. "Doval is a brilliant officer but he is behaving like a 'sycophant' to the BJP," Rammohan says. "The NSA has to be scrupulously neutral but Doval is favouring the Rightist approach of the ruling party. He cannot keep quiet when the party takes the wrong approach while handling security issues. When the party does something which is violating the Constitution, the NSA should stand up and point out that this is wrong."
An outspoken Rammohan is known to be a sincere and honest officer who always stood for integrity. "During my service, I never succumbed to any political pressure. I always did what I was supposed to do as a police officer," Rammohan says.
Originally from Kerala, Rammohan studied in Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School in Chennai. Being an only son, his parents didn't allow him to join the elite forces - the army, air force or navy. So he appeared for the civil services examination to become an Indian Police Services (IPS) officer. "I chose to be part of the Assam cadre and, incidentally, I got it too. But I had never told my parents that I chose Assam. When the results came out, my parents were shocked to see that I got the Assam cadre. They didn't want me to serve far away from home. I told them that I opted for it because I wanted to know about the Northeast, a region very different from where I grew up," he says.
Over the years, Rammohan served in various states of the Northeast - Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya. These stints enhanced his understanding of the region. So I ask him about the much hyped "historic" Naga Peace Accord the BJP government signed with the Naga insurgent group, NSCN(I-M) in 2015, details of which are secret even now.
"That's a secret which nobody really knows," he laughs. But he cautions the government that favouring one ethnic group over the other would only lead to more complications in Manipur. "Manipur is a complicated situation. Every group - Nagas, Kukis, Meiteis, Paites, etc. - has its own areas and demands. One has to handle each one of them with respect. The government should not give more power to one over the other," he says.
Is anyone listening?
tetevitae
The 1940-born Rammohan joins the IPS in 1965, chooses the Assam cadre
Serves in senior positions in the ITBP, CBI, CRPF, NSG and BSF. Holds important positions both in CRPF (North East) and BSF (Kashmir)
1991: Awarded the President's police medal for distinguished service
2000: Retires from service as director-general of BSF
Post-retirement, too, he is involved in internal security matters, border management, and counter-terrorism initiatives
Serves as advisor to the governor of Manipur from June 2001 to March 2002
2010: Appointed by the Union home ministry to look into the reasons leading to the massacre of 75 CRPF jawans in Sukma
Written works include his autobiography Simply Khaki and Insurgent Frontiers: Essays from the Troubled North East
