“???? ??????”– Khaki Narrative-4

Bharat Darshan- the study tour, is an exclusive opportunity to savour the magnificence and rich diversity of a continental nation and discern the underlying unity amid diversity. Presumably, the tour is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Bharat Yatra. It’s a fundamental part of training for future police officers and is designed in such a manner that after 21 days, the young probationer would get a good picture of the country’s diverse, rich cultural and geographical treasures. The trainees are columned into a few groups to travel across the country covering different attachments along with a pre-designated itinerary. An Assistant Director (AD) from the Academy accompanied the group and one probationer was designated the coordinator for each group.

?Trainees usually preferred to visit areas of the country that they had never been to before. Shailendra chose to visit Bombay, Goa, Madras, and Bangalore. He says that this was the first time that he enjoyed the pleasure of traveling by air. At Madras (now Chennai) the group called on Shri Eric Stracey, IP who was then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Madras State. In those days, the ranks of Director General of Police or Additional Director General of Police did not exist. The Head of Police Force (HOPF), an acronym that has now become popular, was an officer of the rank of IGP. Stracey enjoyed a reputation for being a hard taskmaster, fond of disciplined conduct, and a stickler for police procedures. He had previously been on the faculty of the Central Police Training College, a precursor of the NPA when it was located on Mount Abu.

?Naturally, therefore both the AD and the trainees were keen to make a good impression on the IGP. The chamber was not particularly large, and they marched in two lines with not enough space between two individuals. After the command “Salute” as each one lifted his right hand to return to normal ?????? (Attention) position, with every probationer trying to execute it in the smartest possible manner as taught on the parade ground, the fingers near the right eyebrow of one trainee lifted the peak cap in the air. It hit the fan and fell on the floor. There was a stunned silence. Shailendra describes what happened next:

????? ???????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ?? ? ?? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???????? ?? ????? ????? ??? ???, ‘??? ????…’?

…??? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???????? ????? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ????????? ??????? ?????

This was circa 1977. Shailendra has not revealed the name of the batchmate. This episode reminds me of what I had heard about the group that proceeded to Delhi and called on the Prime Minister. As they lined up to be introduced to him, Morarji Desai held both the shoulders of a trainee who he found was slouching forward slightly and straightened it. Turning to the accompanying AD, he said- “Put a stick behind his back”. Thus, the 1976 batch of the IPS has the unique distinction where both shoulders of one of its members have been gripped by the Prime Minister of India.

There were other distinctions also:

1. It was the largest batch till then since independence which at the time of allotment of State Cadres had 106 probationers on its rolls.

2. Of the above, a record number of twenty-three probationers were allotted to Uttar Pradesh.

3. With six women probationers, it was the largest intake of that gender in the IPS since independence.

With one lady probationer having left to join the IAS, there were five who completed the training. About them Shailendra says:

??? ??????? ????????, ??????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ???-????, ????-??? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ???????????? ??? ??? ????????, ??? ????????, ??? ????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ???

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