Politics luring many policemen. How do they make the ‘tricky’ transition?

In mid October, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan launched Talaash Insaan Ki, Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh’s book on “mankind’s continuous quest in search of the truth”.
By end-January, Singh had voluntarily retired from the Indian Police Service. The talaash (search) for a new profession didn’t take long. Days after hanging up the khaki uniform, BJP offered him a new career in politics on a platter; a ticket to fight the Lok Sabha polls is only a matter of time.

“In police, we are trained to take prompt decisions. I did not cherish any dream to join politics. It just happened,” says the supercop who had served as police commissioner in cities such as Nagpur, Pune and Mumbai.

After convincing Maharashtra chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan to release him in three days against the usual norm of three months, Singh, 58, stepped onto political turf early this month.


He now aspires to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, a constituency currently held by Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh.

If that does materialize, it will be a Singh vs Singh battle in Baghpat, one of the poorest pockets of the National Capital Region of Delhi, and a stark contrast to its rich cousins of Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.

Accompanied by his wife Alka, Singh has been crisscrossing the constituency, interacting with villagers and has addressed at least 10 meetings a day during the last fortnight.

After bidding adieu to khaki, white is now Singh’s favourite colour, and kurtas — the trademark of Indian politicians — the attire of choice.

For a cop-turned politician, abandoning the police uniform itself is no easy task, but a bigger hurdle is inculcating new traits considered indispensable for electoral success.

“I am learning to say namaste all the time,” Singh quips. Former Indian Police Service officer HT Sangliana, who hunted dreaded dacoit Veerappan and later his life became the subject of three Kannada films, recounts his experience when he decided to jump onto the political bandwagon a decade ago.

“As a police officer, I never failed to return a salute even to a peon. So, when I needed to say namaste to everyone, I faced no ego problems.”

He does point out that most politicians kept a safe distance “from me when I was in service” so it did feel strange initially when he became one of the clan. Sangliana hogged the limelight as a giant killer in 2004 when he defeated six-time MP and former Union minister CK Jaffer Sharief from Bangalore North on a BJP ticket.

Later, however, the party expelled him for supporting the Indo-US nuclear deal, prompting him to switch sides to the Congress. But success eluded him and he lost the 2009 election from the Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency. Sangliana is now aspiring to get a Congress ticket from the same seat.



Tricky Transition

Though the transition from police to politics is not a cakewalk, many a top cop has succeeded in overcoming the obstacles. Union minister of state for finance Namo Narain Meena and West Bengal government’s minister for backward class welfare UN Biswas were both senior policemen before entering politics after retirement, fighting elections, and emerging victorious.

In the upcoming general elections, former IPS officer KC Ramamurthy has applied for a Congress ticket from Bangalore North constituency.

In Jharkhand, IPS officers are being wooed by political parties keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Amitabh Chaudhary, who was Jharkhand’s additional director general of police, took voluntary retirement last year, and may contest the Lok Sabha election from Ranchi on a BJP ticket, according to reports.

Only recently, a serving IPS officer from the state Arun Oraon applied for voluntary retirement, fuelling speculation that he would contest Lok Sabha polls from Lohardaga, also on a BJP ticket. Incidentally, Oraon’s father Bandi Oraon too had quit the IPS to become a legislator in the state.

Some politicians, including a heavyweight like Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, began their career as low-rung police personnel. Shinde, for example, joined the Maharashtra police as a constable before getting promoted to a sub-inspector. But not all policemen succeed in politics. As early as 1984, the then young Mizo IPS officer Lalduhawma left the elite service to contest Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket and registered a win.

Impressed by the young man’s eloquence, sincerity and vision, many in that northeastern state speculated that Lalduhawma would one day become the state’s chief minister. But over the years the cop-turned-politician lost the plot and his regional political outfit — Zoram Nationalist Party — is at best a marginal political force in the state today.

Despite more and more senior police officers expressing their willingness to shed their khaki dress and opt for active politics, the latter may prove to be a tougher profession. “I admit politics is not easy. You have to be a bulldozer to survive in politics,” says Sangliana.

Political Neutrality

Also, what often becomes debatable is whether a serving police officer should be allowed to join politics immediately after retirement. Former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian does not see anything wrong, although he does throw in a rider. “No law bars a serving and retired police officer from joining a political party. But I feel there should be a cooling-off period of two to three years before allowing any officer to join a party,” he says.

In fact, the American system allows government officials to be members of political parties. In India, Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, bar officials, including cops, from joining political parties while in service. The rules insist that government officials should also not be close to any organization that is politically inclined.

Here is an excerpt of the rule describing political neutrality: “It is essential that government servants should not only maintain political neutrality but should also appear to do so and they should not participate in the activities of, or associate themselves with any organization in respect of which there is the slightest reason to think that the organization has political aspect.”

With more senior officials, including top cops, joining politics, will a situation arise where civil servants could be tempted to disclose secrets — or alleged ones — for gaining political mileage? Former home secretary RK Singh’s recent allegations against the home minister — that he interfered with investigations and postings in the Delhi Police — fall in this category.

Shinde had countered that the charges were “political in nature" and dismissed Singh as a “BJP man”. Subramanian doesn’t make much of Singh’s allegations, although he doesn’t quite approve of them. “RK Singh did not reveal any official documents to prove his point. The incident at best can be called something in bad taste, and definitely not something illegal or immoral.”

‘Khaki’ Politicians Who Made It

UN Biswas: Former IPS, 1968 batch,West Bengal cadre

Party: Trinamool Congress

Current Status: Minister for backward class welfare, West Bengal

Career: As a police officer posted in CBI, Biswas made headlines pursuing the fodder scam that sent Lalu Prasad to jail. Known for his honesty, Biswas was handpicked by Mamata Banerjee in 2011 to contest from Bagda.

HT Sangliana: Former IPS, 1967 batch, Karnataka cadre

Party: Congress

Current Status: Former MP; looking to contest from Bangalore Central in the general elections

Career: Sangliana, who hails from Mizoram, retired in 2003 as Karnataka’s DGP, the highest ranked cop in a state. He became a household name when he headed the Special Task Force to catch Veerappan. Later, three Kannada films were made on his life. He won the Lok Sabha poll as a BJP candidate before switching sides.

Namo Narain Meena: Former IPS, 1969 batch, Rajasthan cadre

Party: Congress

Current Status: Union minister of state, finance

Career: He served in various capacities before becoming additional DGP in Rajasthan. He headed the state human rights commission before getting elected to LS in 2004 from Sawai Madhopur, which he retained in 2009. Was earlier an MoS for environment and forests.