NEW DELHI: The tenure of one of the most colorful and powerful bureaucrats of the P.V. Narasimha Rao regime ended July 2nd when Home Minister Indrajit Gupta refused to extend the service of Special Secretary V.K. Jain. Mr. Jain was handling internal security in the Home Ministry, as result of which he was also coordinating investigations into the misdeeds of controversial god man Chandraswami. He was the number two man in the Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs. Although he reached retirement age three years ago, he was granted four extensions by Rao. Several Press reports linked Jain to the Chandraswami, implying that he received numerous service extensions due to his proximity to him.

Li had also been alleged that Chandraswami was party to intelligence reports that passed through the Special Secretary’s desk. Jain, however, never denied the reports, perhaps because he was still in service.

On Monday, however, Home Secretary K, Padmanabhaiah sought to extend his service by another six months so that he would serve till the conclusion of Assembly elections in strife tom Jammu and Kashmir, A proposal was moved to reemploy Jain as an adviser in the Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs, as his extension ran out on June 30, The Home Minister, however, is against extensions to bureaucrats, and Padmanabhaiah was reportedly told that the Ministry would soon get a new Special Secretary.

Jain and IPS officer who was DGP of Uttar Pradesh during Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yaday’s first terms Chief Minister, sought to make the indispensable over the years by projecting himself as the top antiterrorism experts in the country. This claim, however, has been pooh-poohed by many senior IPS officers. Officials, however, said though Jain shied away from taking decisions, his utility lay in his rapport with everyone involved in framing a policy on Jammu and Kashmir, including State Governor K.V. Krishna Rao, intelligence and security force chiefs, top bureaucrats and political leaders.

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 3, 1996