Ex-BSF commandant K Vijay Shankar chose Indian Police Service because he likes to take up challenges. His rank in UPSC CSE made him eligible for IAS but he opted for IPS as he felt that in this service, risks and challenges are more in comparison.
The 2018-batch IPS officer is a qualified engineer, too, and is currently posted as SP, Jamshedpur (City), Jharkhand. On the occasion of Independence Day this year, he was honoured with the gallantry award by the Union Home Ministry for his work against ultra-Left outfits.
During an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, he talked about the operation which won him this award and shared his experience of working in the Jharkhand cadre.
GETTING TO KNOW TRIBAL CULTURE INTIMATELY
Mr. Shankar, who hails from Tamil Nadu, has a family legacy of police officers. His grandfather and father were both in police, and, in fact, his father was an IPS officer from Haryana cadre. Inspired by them, Mr. Shankar, too, chose IPS and opted for Jharkhand cadre as he likes to deal with difficult situations.
Talking about it, he told IndianMasterminds, “Jharkhand was much higher in my cadre preference list. I always wanted to serve in a place which has testing situations. My preferences were the cadres which are affected by terrorist or ultra-Left violence.”
He was posted in Palamu, Ranchi and now in Jamshedpur. When asked if it was difficult for him to bridge the gap between the police and the tribes of the area, he said, “After coming here, I got to know the tribal culture, which is another facet of Indian culture. You start to actually witness and appreciate the diversity. The challenge is to be able to associate with them and make them part of your day-to-day lives. When you understand and respect the nuances of their culture and they know that you’re going to be good with them, they are forthcoming and will be there for you. They might easily be the best section of society.”
He also mentions that when it comes to maintaining law and order in tribal areas, a police officer has to try out many things, as what works in mainstream society might not work with the tribes. But, eventually one learns.
LOT GOES BEHIND A SUCCESSFUL OPERATION
Mr. Shankar was awarded for neutralizing the area commander of banned ultra-Leftist outfit Jharkhand Janmukti Parishad, Mahesh Mia. He led the operation against the outfit while he was posted in Palamu as SDPO. During his posting, he was given the additional charge of operation for the entire state. Sharing about the operation against Mahesh, he said, “We were on him for three-four months. About 200 operations were carried out to take him in custody. On 24 February, we got a tip that he has been spotted. I immediately left for the place with 3-4 personnel and also included a team from the local police station with us. We were about 8 people. Before we could reach him, one of his men saw us coming and started firing.”
It was the fringe of a jungle. The team of police cordon off the area and started closing in. After shots were fired, the police team retaliated and fires were exchanged for 30-35 minutes. “They know the jungles better than us and went inside. After the operation, we carried out a search in which we saw that one ultra was neutralized. We believed it was Mahesh and the locals later confirmed it,” the officer said.
GETTING YOUR MEN BACK IS BIGGEST WIN
In the operation, the police team didn’t face any casualty. Mr. Shankar said, “That is the biggest win. When you command any operation, the task is to bring your men back safely. If you don’t accomplish the mission, then that is still okay. But, if you lose your men, then that is something you’ve to live your entire life with. It can downgrade your moral.”
The officer is currently focusing on bringing peace in the area and sending out a strong message by putting all offenders behind bars.
