The irony cannot not be more stark. Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was in the forefront of protests against supercop K P S Gill during the six-year agitation against foreign nationals. Today, Mahanta has requested him to take over as his security adviser and help restore normalcy in the trouble-torn state.
Gill, go back. This was one of the many slogans raised against Gill during his posting as SP (Guwahati) and IGP (Operations) in the early eighties. He was the target of many attacks by students during the heady days, and had also faced the humiliation of having his turban dislodged by angry students. Gill had been tough with the students, and had become a hate-figure in the state.
Mahanta yesterday confirmed that he has requested Gill to join his government in handling the tinder boxes in various parts of the state, mainly the Bodo and ULFA militants. In the last week alone, there have been several incidents of sabotage and killings even though the army continues to be deployed in the state.
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An IPS officer of the 1957 batch of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, Gill is credited with knowing the Assam problem better than most officials at the Centre involved with the north-east. Ever since he left the state in the early eighties for central posting and later in Punjab, his performance has been watched by student leaders of Assam.
Today, the very mention of Gill generates unease in Assam. During his last visit to Guwahati in 1994, there was talk of former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia seeking his services to tackle the ULFA. The one-day visit itself had generated considerable tension, with the ULFA coming out with a statement that it can tackle a thousand Gills now.
Another significant change effected by Mahanta is the installation of V S Jafa as the chief secretary. Jafa had also earned the ire of students during the agitation days, and had often worked jointly with Gill. AGP sources admit that the old team of Gill and Jafa could prove an effective foil in the present situation.
It is true that bringing in officiers known for their strong arm methods could alienate us from our support base. But there was little option left, and we did not want to embarrass the United Front government by forcing it to consider the imposition of Presidents rule. Also, we are now leading a coalition, which generates its own compulsions, a senior AGP leader said.
A appointment of a new DGP is also in the offing. Assam also gets a new governor in former vice-chief of army staff S K Sinha. Unlike the smaller states in the north-east like Nagaland and Manipur, the governor of Assam does not enjoy very many powers. Sinha is unlikely to be allowed an activist role in the Raj Bhavan since the Mahanta government is not unwilling to take tough measures against the militants.
In any case, the primary task of tackling the militants has been handed over to a `unified command structure set up by the Union home ministry. It involves the army, security forces as well as the state police, but the operations are led by the army. On his part, Mahanta has already made it clear to those protesting against the army presence and tough measures that if anybody could guarantee that there would be no violence, he would ensure that the army is sent back.
Union home secretary K Padmanabhaiah is scheduled to visit Guwahati today. Union home minister Indrajit Gupta is also expected to visit the state on his return to the Capital from Kerala. A formal notification on Gills appointment is expected to be issues after the visits by Gupta and Padmanabhaiah.