The reported decision of the Chief Minster of Karnataka to requisition the services of the Army to deal with a crime problem, - namely capture of the solitary gang of smugglers led by Veerappan, should cause concern to all right thinking people in India. This decision assumes that : (a) Army has idle time to spare for all sundry tasks, (b) Army has expertise to deal with crime, and (c) Karnataka police are incapable of dealing with the crime. None of these are valid. Calling in the Army will demoralise the Karnataka police and will have far reaching negative consequences.

As the protector of India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, in peace time, Army trains itself continuously for operational tasks in war and carries out large scale simulated exercises. As it is, deployment of Army extensively in Punjab, J&K, Assam and elsewhere in civilian oriented tasks has had its effect on the quality of training. While there could be justification for calling in the Army to deal with insurgency, secessionism, terrorism etc., there could be none to ask for Army’s services to deal with an isolated phenomenon of crime.

It is pertinent to note that in the past, States of M.P., U.P. and Rajasthan, faced with dacoity menace did not seek Army’s help, instead they solved it themselves. Neither the naxalite affected States of A.P. and Maharashtra nor the U.P. affected with terrorist problem in Terai did ask for Army’s assistance.

Army is raised, trained and organised for offensive actions and with the ethos - victory at all costs. It has operational freedom to achieve its goal. In certain law and order situations, the watch words are tact and accommodation, which calls for flexibility in operation. Possible failure of missions is built in, in certain situations. Frequent deployment of Army in aid of civil power will have the deleterious effect of eroding the ethos of the Army - win at all costs. Law also visualises summoning Army as a last resort in times of grave situations of break-down of law and order and not for catching a single outlaw. Army needs the adulation and support of the people as a whole to win a war. Frequent exposure will deprive them of their aura as familiarity always breeds contempt. Thus, seen from any angle the decision of the Karnataka government appears to be based on unsound grounds and a panic reaction.

Veerappan Syndrome : Attempts are being made to build a larger than life image of a smuggler. All criminals succeed in killing a few innocent persons and strike terror. There is nothing on record to suggest that Veerappan possess a formidable arsenal and organisation to destabilise the well established authority. From all accounts appearing in the media, wherever and whenever Veerappan struck, he succeeded due to the operational and tactical blunders committed by the victims.

The brave and promising young officers lost their lives because they literally walked into the trap laid by Veerappan using an informant as the bait. The attack on Rampura Police Station succeeded since the personnel in the police station failed to take elementary security precautions expected of them in operational areas. Instead of taking remedial action to upgrade the operational skills of the police personnel to operate in jungle areas, an attempt is being made to throw in the towel and pass the buck to the Army.

To succeed in apprehending the outlaw, we need grass-root operational intelligence in the jungle area. Close interaction with the people living in tiny jungle hamlets is called for. A conscious effort to build up a network of grass-root intelligence will have to be made. Who is better equipped to do this with success than the personnel of Karnataka police, who are closer to and who understand the people of Karnataka?

Instead of despair, let Karnataka take a resolve to solve the problem by itself. After all, crime control is the basic function of the States and not of the Union of India. following steps may be considered for implementation.

Short-term measures:

(1) Defining the problem : Veerappan affair is a crime problem and not a law and order problem. It has to be tackled basically by crime police. Therefore, the task of bringing Veerappan to book before justice should be entrusted to the Corps of Detectives (C.O.D.).

(2) C.O.D. should be given sufficient trained manpower to assist them in operating in jungle areas.

(3) It is apparent that Karnataka police lack expertise in jungle operations. Therefore, services of experts in jungle operations from Para-Military Forces and retired Army officers should be obtained and they should be attached as Advisors with groups of police personnel operating in the jungle.

(4) There are very distinguished police officers in north India, who are experts in dealing with outlaws, dacoits and the like. Services of these officers should be enlisted to assist in planning operations.

(5) C.O.D. should concentrate on generating and building up a grass-root intelligence network with the help of local area police.

(6) To ensure quick movement of personnel, C.O.D. should be provided with helicopter.

(7) An inter-State joint operational command should be established with Tamil Nadu police.

(1) Help of Army and para-military forces should be sought to set up a training centre for police in jungle operations. All the southern States can benefit from such a centre.

(2) More civil police stations/out-posts should be opened in jungle areas.

(3) Police communication network in the remote areas should be expanded and strengthened.

(4) Tribals/villagers of jungle areas are to be recruited in good number in Armed police units to utilise their services in jungle areas.

(5) Last but not the least, sustained efforts should be made to build up the morale and fighting spirit of Karnataka police.

In fine, let us see the problems in proper perspective and not through a magnifying glass. Let us not allow a criminal to become a Frankenstein. Let us not use the sledge hammer - the Army, to swat a minor irritant - Veerappan. What is called for is resolute determination to face the problem squarely and conquer it. Passing the buck to the Centre never solved any problem. After all crime control is the responsibility of the State and not of Union of India.