CHANDIGARH: Punjab-based officers belonging to the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) are in a quandary over the “security” provided to them and have registered their protest with the chief secretary.
The Punjab Government had provided security personnel to about 60 IAS and other senior officers following the gunning down of the Punjab Excise Commissioner, A.K. Mishra at Patiala in May this year. The intelligence agencies were asked to prepare a list of officers who should be provided security in the wake of a threat issued by Babbar Khalsa to certain senior officers.
What has really put the IAS officers in a spot is that the security personnel provided to them are neither experienced nor adequately trained for the job. Virwally all of them are fresh recruits from the Punjab Armed Police. They had to be inducted because the police had none to spare from its strength for the security cover of 60 more persons at a go.
The police authorities, to their credit, did try to recruit ex-servicemen for such duties, However, the advertisements evoked little response and the new police recruits were deployed to tide over the immediate problem.
While some of the officers concerned do not seem to mind deployment as security personnel, several others are highly critical of the security “cover” thrust upon them. They felt much safer without the cover and thought that it had only made them more conspicuous targets.
The officers have also pointed out that they were finding it difficult to accommodate the security, in the comparatively smaller houses allotted to them in the Union Territory.
A deputation of IAS officers met the state chief secretary, A.S. Chatha and voiced their feelings, Chatha had assured them that experienced personnel would be provided to them for security subject to availability.
Meanwhile, some of the senior officers, manning key positions in the state, are on long leaves.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 3, 1992
