New police commissioner of Chennai

Apparently a new Police Commissioner of Chennai has been appointed. (Picture below.) As per Chindu,

T. Rajendran, a 1983 batch IPS officer, has been posted as the new Commissioner of Chennai Police, replacing his batchmate K. Radhakrishnan, who has been transferred and posted as Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order).

Some highlights,

It was under the supervision of Mr. Rajendran that a special team gunned down the dreaded Imam Ali and his accomplices in Bangalore on September 29, 2002. He was then the Inspector-General of Police (South Zone).

This blog is not responsible for your mental agony, trauma, anger or any acts of violence which might occur after viewing the picture.

Countering Islamic terrorism

Khare must be the face of Chindu's journalistic stupidity.

Within the same week, a handful of brave men of the Delhi Police were able to gun down at least two alleged terrorists;

The two alleged terrorists were affable people peacefully practicing their religion when the fame-seeking policeman barged in and performed the self-immolation ritual of shooting oneself.

the encounter even produced a hero.

As if by way of a rite of collective catharsis, our mass media spent considerable time in saluting and remembering Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, the slain hero in the face-off at Batla House in Jamia Nagar. The “encounter” itself has been designated, by a section of the media, as avenging the previous Saturday’s perfidy, perhaps with a hint of a suggestion that the scores are even between the Indian State and the driven merchants of death.

As a journalist, Khare must have done some basic research. So he must be aware of Sharma's past (thanks to girish for the link).
Sharma, who is survived by his wife and two young children, had won seven gallantry medals including a President's medal this year. He joined Delhi Police as a sub-inspector in 1989 and was instrumental in the killing of 35 terrorists and the arrest of another 80 militants, police sources claimed, adding he had killed 40 inter-state gangsters and arrested another 129.
Sharma was a hero even when Chindu has been using a broad brush over the years to paint all policemen as villians. Khare is giving the impression that Sharma's act of valor is a selfish attempt at stardom. He reiterates this by doubting the veracity of the encounter.

... when the terrorists strike next. And, they will. And when they do, they will have the collusive support of the mass media in instilling a sense of insecurity, fear and anger in the citizens. And, once again, the Narendra Modis and the L.K.Advanis will feel vindicated in their poisonous catechism and will gleefully look forward to commandeering a scared electorate into voting them to power.

This is not the first time we are seeing Chindu announce emphatically that the terrorists will strike again. Is this some kind of fatalism that we Indians must resign to? Why does Chindu not begin by asking the tough question: what must be done to make sure there is not another terrorist attack in India? The answer probably points in the direction what N.Ram has prescribed for stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan -- hard decisions:
- countering the common, unifying religion-based (Religion of Peace) world view of the various terrorist outfits
- elimination of madrassa-based groups,
- government determination in fighting terrorism

Hoax news spins into a story on police inefficiency

penpricks, in the past, has exposed the lack of ethics and professionalism in the industry. Although largely limited to Goan media, it is a blog I would recommend to media watchers. penpricks sent out a hoax email with the intention of exposing media sensationalism. Siddharth Varadarajan picks up the story. He has nothing to say about journalists or editors but blames the police who are mere bystanders.

Firstly, this hoax email was not sent to expose police fabrications but was aimed at highlighting what is a well known fact about Indian media -- lack of journalistic standards. Secondly, that major and reputed media establishments have fallen for a hoax story with dead giveaways is an indicator of the deplorable standards of mainstream media in our country. Siddharth Varadarajan ignores these two main points. Instead of lamenting on the state of media, he links this vaguely to police and terrorism. He then devotes more than 20% of the article to lambasting the police.

It is no excuse that we must accept this hoax story because we accept the police versions on terrorism cases. The motivations and compulsions in this hoax email and police narrations are entirely different. Also, considering the pathetic nature of mainstream media, the police might have a valid reason to mislead the media and feed their voracious appetite for sensationalism rather than tell the truth. Siddarth Varadarajan, by comparing police narrations to an email hoax, is consciously and deliberately undermining the anti-terrorism efforts by the police.

On the whole, Siddhart Varadarajan displays a classic example of "I can draw this conclusion given any set of data" attitude. He avoids flogging his own sheep, labels the police as beast and flogs the beast. A coward and a bloody hypocrite.

The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : Stories that are too good to check

For though the ‘Johann Bach’ story was outlandish, it was no more so than the reports regularly put out by Indian police departments about the arrest of terrorism suspects.

It is easy to laugh at the gullibility of reporters and editors in the ’Bach’ case but is our profession any less gullible when it uncritically regurgitates improbable, unverified and unverifiable details provided by the police in virtually all terrorism cases? Do any of us ever stop to ask how the police is able to reveal intimate details about a suspect’s prior movements and associations within hours of arresting him? One of the country’s worst kept secrets is that the police admit to having arrested a suspect days and sometimes even weeks after first taking him into custody. During this period of custody, the suspect is worked over and only after there is nothing more to extract is his “arrest” announced to the media. More often than not, the suspect will be paraded before photographers and journalists who will faithfully note down every ’fact’ provided to them by the police. Some of these ‘facts’ may well be true; but in accepting them at face value, that too from a source whose tendency to distort and mislead is legendary, are we really all that different from the victims of Perus Narpk?

Castiest Christian clash; CBCNN blames police

Orthodox march lathicharged

The headline suggests that the police acted without provocation against the faithful. Notice the absence of the word "Christians". And the carefully inserted "allegations".

The violence began at 4.30 p.m. when some protestors allegedly threw stones at the police.
They allegedly mobbed and beat up two police officers.

But the allegations by Church authorities become facts mysteriously.

The Church authorities said journalists had assaulted one of their members in front of the police.

Police deliberately kill children : CBCNN

Farewell, sweet Faizal - Nupur Basu

And the police, in a bid to quell "rioting mobs," found a vulnerable target in Faizal...

The operative word here being "found". This is reiterated below.

Where a police force that can neither predict nor contain anti-social and communal outbreaks aims its authority at helpless children, old people, and women.

No tears for the police constable who was killed by the mob. No information on the plight of his family. He is buried as a nameless entity by The Chindu. But Nupur Basu comes out gunning for the police head.

I am getting sick of reading all this nonsense.

Dsyfunctional police

India's dysfunctional police

It has long been my opinion that The Chindu indulges in tarnishing the image of the police and security establishment in general. This article does just that, and in a acidic tone.

Weep for the muslim victims. Hindus?, who cares?

`Who cares for the fate of victims?'

Consistent with its editorial policy, The Anti-Hindu selects only the plight of muslim victims for coverage. It deliberately reported incorrectly that the violence was started by the Hindus.

Couple of other things in the article. It tries to project
1. the police as irresponsible and brutal.
2. CPI(M) as sympathetic and caring.

CPI(M) programme on Gujarat riots

Horror tales of Gujarat riots

Safdar Hashmi was a member of the CPI (M) and Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) is a CPI(M) NGO outfit. This article has all the ingredients of a typical commie report : blaming the police, projecting muslims as victims and hindus as aggressors, etc.

CBCNN started off its Gujarat campaign much faster that I anticipated.

Silence on this death penalty

Death for former police officer

CBCNN, which opposes death penalty no matter how serious the crime, will not raise a whimper against this death penalty because
- the convict is a police officer
- the convict is a hindu

Another article suspecting the police

Facts, fiction or the fog of drugs? - Praveen Swami

"IT is far pleasanter to sit comfortably in the shade rubbing red pepper in a poor devil's eyes," wrote James Stephen in his 1883 classic, The History of Criminal Law, "than to go about in the sun hunting up evidence."

Stephen's wry commentary on colonial Indian police practices offers a prism through which to examine the Mumbai Police's investigation of the July 11 serial bombing of suburban trains.
Swami's opening statements set the tone for the rest of the article. He straight away starts with the assumption that the Mumbai police have not spent time on the investigation and are forcing confessions out of innocents. CBCNN rejects any direct evidence indicting Pakistan, saying it is so obvious Pak wont do it. CBCNN rejects any circumstantial evidence saying it is not solid evidence. CBCNN calls any time taken for the investigations as police ineffeciency. The police have no escape. The CBCNN is always lashing out at them. In total contrast, CBCNN is always considerate when it comes to Islamic terrorism. Also, look at how it went to the extent of supporting nuclear tests by blaming America. The Indian police get no such sympathy from CBCNN.

Another article suspecting the police

Facts, fiction or the fog of drugs? - Praveen Swami

"IT is far pleasanter to sit comfortably in the shade rubbing red pepper in a poor devil's eyes," wrote James Stephen in his 1883 classic, The History of Criminal Law, "than to go about in the sun hunting up evidence."

Stephen's wry commentary on colonial Indian police practices offers a prism through which to examine the Mumbai Police's investigation of the July 11 serial bombing of suburban trains.
Swami's opening statements set the tone for the rest of the article. He straight away starts with the assumption that the Mumbai police have not spent time on the investigation and are forcing confessions out of innocents. CBCNN rejects any direct evidence indicting Pakistan, saying it is so obvious Pak wont do it. CBCNN rejects any circumstantial evidence saying it is not solid evidence. CBCNN calls any time taken for the investigations as police ineffeciency. The police have no escape. The CBCNN is always lashing out at them. In total contrast, CBCNN is always considerate when it comes to Islamic terrorism. Also, look at how it went to the extent of supporting nuclear tests by blaming America. The Indian police get no such sympathy from CBCNN.