Memoir of a master cop

Serving and retired Indian Police Officers have set a trend of writing their memoirs, carrying gripping accounts of their professional innings. Some write factual accounts, some pen it from political viewpoints, some exaggerate, and some record their own achievements with a bit of self-glorification.

Here is a book by OP Singh, ‘Crime, Grime and Gumption: Case Files of an IPS Officer’, which is, I should say, a noticeable departure from routine accounts. The author, OP Singh, has beautifully woven the happenings linked to his long career in the Police covering diverse responsibilities. OP’s last assignment was Director General Police (DGP) of the largest Indian state, Uttar Pradesh, which is full of complex challenges, be it caste-ridden, communal, politicized bureaucracy, and many more impediments in day-to-day exciting happenings.

Let’s take UP first. The author has comprehensively dealt with various places he has served with grit and a hands-on approach. Addressing the Sikh separatist threats engulfing the Terai region of the state, which posed serious challenges to the establishment with a spate of killings, abductions, and hostage crises, is an example in case. As an SP of the district afflicted with the threats, he handled the problem by balancing the political sensitivities with professional nuances. It’s a learning lesson for young police officers when such law and order and crime-linked issues are dealt with, displaying decision-making and inspiring leadership.

The book under review also touches upon the communal occurrences with particular challenges in Muzaffarnagar in 2013, which saw one of the fiercest communal riots in the biggest state, which in size and population exceeds the geographic limits of countries like France, Germany, and England in its enormity.

The most interesting and significant portion of the book, however, is the handling of the State Guest House political crisis when Mayawati’s BSP partymen and the Samajwadi Party members had to be dealt with effectively. This scene has been dealt with in detail in the book where the author, as the district police chief, incurred the wrath of the political leadership, leading to stern action against him, singling him out as the only villain, glaringly leaving out the District Magistrate and other officials who were also present on the spot.

Here, the author pursued the discrimination and partisan attitude of the political leadership to the hilt, ultimately leading to his vindication in court. Such portions in the book are worth reading not only to absorb the excitement and thrill but also to understand the challenges a cop with an apolitical approach faces while dealing with the day-to-day discharge of responsibilities.

In UP, during his tenure in different capacities, a very graphic description is given, whether in the introduction of the Commissioner system of policing in some parts of UP, the outcome in the aftermath of the Ayodhya verdict, or multiple other happenings.

Similarly, as the police chief in Almora (then in UP and now Uttarakhand), he was part of the story of a theft at a VIP’s house and a Sherlock Holmes-type investigation in solving the case. It is indeed interesting to read and absorb. Last but not least, the author’s initiative in clearing out misgivings, if any, with the Chief Minister for the 1995 incident is not to be missed. I leave it to the readers to go through and react.

The author’s recounting of his days as the head of the CISF is not to be missed. I have personal knowledge of his ‘leading from the front’ approach when he prioritized training for the CISF personnel and galvanized the force into a fighting-fit apparatus with fine-tuning the intelligence element to take the force to a different level. It’s not an exaggeration to state that the force got a much-needed impetus under his leadership, and we see the results today. No wonder, in the book, the author aptly says that his CISF assignment was “My tiara.”

As the head of the coveted NDRF, the author has described his experiences in very animated detail in handling multiple disasters within and outside the country. The floods in Kashmir, the earthquake in Nepal, and the devastation in other parts of the country have been effectively dealt with. Reading the concerned chapter in the book gives a clear idea about the insurmountable challenges the NDRF faces while dealing with rescue operations, requiring coordination with various government and non-governmental agencies, and most importantly, keeping the morale of the dedicated men under the leader at an all-time high. OP Singh has done this while meeting all the professional requirements. It must be placed on record that whether at the helm of UP, CISF, or at the NDRF, the author has dutifully mentioned names in this book of several of his subordinates, giving them their due credit even if they were non-IPS. That’s the sign of a true leader. The book says it all.

The book, other than carrying professional details of the author’s postings at various locations, also appropriately gives his childhood, the loss of his father at the early age of 14, education at Allahabad and Delhi Universities, bonhomie with friends, diverse activities as a student, respect for his professional Gurus in his training academy, SPG, and in UP. That makes the book, in my eyes, more readable for IPS probationers, scholars, politicians, civil servants, and training institutes for administrative services.

I wish the author had shared more experiences of his stint as a cop in city policing in Allahabad, and the most challenging handling of the Kumbha Mela in 1995, where readers would have benefited from his exposures. Maybe “Penguin” and the author will soon bring out a second part with the areas left out. That should be soon to keep up the thread of tempo. For the time being, readers need to enjoy the 200-plus pages book, which is also pocket-friendly, offering a fantastic read in one go.

The writer is a retired IPS officer, a prolific reader and an occasional reviewer of books of all types.

Views expressed are personal