Man of Principle

His name itself is a combination of dark and light, and so is his persona. Being hard on criminals he is soft hearted to the commons. Born on Independence Day, patriotism had to be an integral part of his heart and soul, and so it is.

This 1998 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer is a journalist, enthusiast, poet, publisher, scholar of religious studies as he often recites verses from the holy Geeta as well ayats from the Holy Quraan.

While their senior IPS officers often inspire officers of lower rank, he is isolated to have been inspired by his sub-inspector father. Police, right from British India, termed and treated a nomadic tribe as thieves while this man rehabilitated and re-joined them with the society during his stint in Ahmednagar.

This poet hearted IPS is inspired by the Rubaiyat stanzas of Robert Frost’s poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. As his persona, the poetry too describes a late evening while the poet wrote it early morning.

Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) Krishna Prakash hails from Kurambay village in Ramgarh (formerly known as Hazaribagh) district of then Bihar. He studied in a local school near his native village before shifting to the St Robert’s School and completed his intermediate from the St Columba College with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, however Krishna graduated from the Ranchi University in History.

Krishna took his first assignment as a journalist with YuvaSandesh, a local magazine which he looked after as an editor. He was selected to be the only candidate in his 1998 batch of IPS after two failed attempts. Right from the days of his journalistic career, Krishna wrote and compiled articles on secularism and so he now uses them in his daily service.

In an interview with Mumbai Headlines Correspondent Yash Mishra, Krishna Prakash spoke out his heart for the Nation, policing and the way Mumbai police can over-rule the ‘Bobby’ of Scotland, excerpts:

Can you reconstruct your journey to the IPS? Was it deep rooted since childhood?

Yes, it was deep rooted since my childhood. As I started understanding things, I saw my father in a police dress so there was a charm. When I first dressed in the Scout-Guide-grey, my sister thought it was Khakhi (police dress) and so saluted me, it further deepened the thought. 

During my college days, I often visited my uncle’s place which was situated close to the IPS training centre and hence had a opportunity to interact with the probationers and that was the time when I started planning for the civil exams.

People generally fear the police but in your case you were a celebrity during your service as SP Ahmed Nagar, how did you achieve that much public support?

An officer is always lucky to get such support, had the government not supported how would I go there? So I am also thankful to the government equally. I always kept in mind that I am here to serve people, I am nothing special but just some one who is assigned to look after their well being. According to Bhagvad Gita, god exists in our lives and so every creature is a part of God, considering this verse, I always treated people accordingly. Jean Jacques Rousseau similarly repeats it in his social contract, which is considered as a Bible of democracy, he says ‘the state or the government is nothing but a social contract and this contract is based on the common will of the citizen.’

I had experimented it in Nanded, Malegaon, Buldhana, Amravati, Sangli and Ahmednagar as well. During my Nagar service, I observed that the ‘Phase-Pardhi’ (a nomadic tribe notified as thieves by the British) were boycotted from society and resided in pockets outside regular villages. This boycott resulted in leaving the tribe jobless and thus taking theft as profession. I re-united the community with the society and helped them gaining their self-respect which deleted their isolated identity.

What is the essence of community policing?

Going to the public and involving public in policing are two different ways. Whatever the number of policemen it may be, it will always be lesser than the community. Involving people in such programs will ensure that everyone is a citizen policeman. Many women had tipped me about illicit joints as their husbands were victimized there, and by these resources a policemen develops a very strong source of information network which is never ending and authentic.

South Mumbai being a creamy layer area, it equally has sensitive slum pockets, how do you ensure safety?

Perceiving the scenario post 9/11 terror strike, it can only be achieved if high-ended intelligence is gathered timely. People can of course help the police but to a limitation. The police were taken to surprise as we are not assigned to counter terrorism then, however now we too are prepared. Our basic task is to ensure law and order and assist citizens in all possible means.

You have quoted from Robert Frost’s poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,’ on your facebook page, what prominence does the rubaiyat stanza have in your life?

I completely believe in the above statement as I think I have a lot to do and don’t have that much time. We should utilize our time in a proper and organised manner.

(Explanation: the above poem is very popular among US children and depicts a horse-rider who had to stop by the woods in a snowy evening but his task is to travel. The poem series were written at the author’s dwelling house throughout the night, however this poem was written early morning in a rapid flow and became the most popular one)

What is the biggest task that Mumbai police goes through?

It is the security arrangement during festivals, terror alerts and so on. Mumbai being a hub of business, VIPs, VVIPs and prominent persons of our society our prime concern is to arrange proper security measures.

What is your message for Mumbai Headlines readers?

I request every citizen to adopt policing for the betterment of the society. If all participate in policing our city will really become the city of dreams added with full proof security for its residents. Moreover, I appeal citizens to respect their policemen as they maintain the lines you can hardly sketch.