As a boy who completed B.Sc Agriculture in 2007, your father wanted you to be an agriculturist. What is the reason behind choosing this field?  

I achieved IPS selection in the 2007 batch and joined an institution in Delhi to pursue my post graduation (M.Sc) in Agriculture. My batchmates and juniors were busy preparing for their UPSC exams. I also prepared and by god’s grace I got selected. The reason behind doing BSc Agriculture was that we have fields in our village.

My father had also a desire that after the completion of my post graduation I will continue my work as an agriculturist. My father was a lawyer. When I was doing my graduation, he passed away. Probably if he was alive he would have been happy to see me in the police department. I wanted to have a job which was suitable for me although being a police officer was never my childhood dream.

Did your dreams come true when you were in Delhi?

Yes. I didn’t have confidence that I would be able to clear the UPSC exams. In Bengaluru, I did not have courage to apply for the competitive exams. Then I felt why I can’t do it when others can.  So I prepared well and was selected by the grace of god.

You have served for two years in Mangaluru as the police commissioner. How would you like to recall this period?

It has gone off smoothly and a few challenges as well with some of the incidents in Surathkal. Citizens of Mangaluru have given complete cooperation throughout and even during the time when Prime Minister visited Mangaluru and the programme was organised at Gold Finch city.

It was also a challenge for us to clear the road within 10 minutes as Prime Minister changed his plan to travel by road to the airport. But citizens of Mangaluru have cooperated with us by following the rules and they became the reason for the success of the programme.

During the second wave of Covid-19, it was not too much of a problem as there was adequate medical facility in Mangaluru. Police department has worked efficiently to build faith among the public. There is no definition of being people friendly, but its the effort of every police officer.

How did you build confidence among the people?

The main two aspects of a police officer they should be transparency and good communication. These two things can influence anyone. It’s a continuous process they are not built in a day. How we interact with people and how we respond to their problem is important. I strongly believe that in any problem, negotiation is the best solution to sort out the things These are not my thoughts as every senior official follows it.

What’s your opinion about the citizens of Mangaluru?

People of Coastal Karnataka are brilliant, sharp and are blessed with entrepreneurial skills. They follow a rich culture and are more involved in cultural activities. Since there are more law abiding citizens, they ask for their rights as well. They are completely cooperative with the police department and have faith in us. 99.9% people of them are peace lovers. There are some conflicts here and there which is temporary and that not should be the basis to decide what Mangaluru is.

If the cooker bomb blast had been successful what would have been its impact on the people?  How did you handle this situation?

The police department takes all cases seriously. I request the citizens to inform the police if they find anyone walking around suspiciously. The cooker bomb blast was a serious issue. If his plan was successful, the damage would have been huge. As we call Mangaluru as land of divinity, by god's grace the plan was unsuccessful. Citizens need to be more alert but need not panic. The case has moved to NIA and we will cooperate with the investigating agency.

Whenever there are such cases, there are allegations made by a few Muslim organisations against the Police of being biased.

I have answered them in the places of protest. Be it any organisation,  when there is huge gathering i make it a point to visit the spot, listen to their grievances, talk to the representatives and respond immediately.

When we take preventive measures they will be convinced with the progress of the case and they will be convinced that we are fair and transparent.

During your tenure is there any unforgettable incident and any thing that brought you satisfaction?

There are few such incidents like when a 12-year-old boy was murdered while playing PUBG, a minor got raped in Parari and a couple committed suicide at Surathkal after they sent me a voice note before taking the extreme step where we tried our best to save them. We could not save the couple and that was the saddest incident.

We will be happy when there is conviction in cases or when we manage with any tough situation or when our work gets recognised by the government or higher authority.

 

 

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