New Delhi: A VIP-security-related order undersigned by a police officer in Madhya Pradesh has stoked a row by appearing to list Muslims and Sikhs in the same category as militant and proscribed outfits like Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
The two-page order signed by Sunil Kumar Jain, Superintendent of Police (SP), Katni, was issued ahead of Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai C. Patel’s visit to the district on 7 December.
The sixth point in the written order instructed police personnel on security duty to keep strict vigilance on “Sikh, Musalman, JKLF, ULFA, SIMI, LTTE aatankwadi (terrorists)”.
“Sikh, Musalman, JKLF, ULFA, SIMI, LTTE aatankwadion par sakht nazar rakhi jaye,” the police order read.
Speaking to ThePrint, SP Jain called it a “typing error” and said “no one intended to hurt the feelings and sentiments of the people of both the communities”.
“The clerk made an error while typing. We apologise to anyone who has been hurt by the statement. I have issued a showcause notice to the clerk, but decided not to suspend him for it,” the SP said.
When asked about mentioning LTTE, JKLF and ULFA in the order, the SP said that he wanted to “cover all tracks”.
The LTTE was a Sri Lankan Tamil separatist organisation, the JKLF is a Kashmiri militant organisation and ULFA a separatist organisation based in Assam.
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The missing ‘aatankwadi’
Asked what was intended to be written originally, SP Jain said, “The clerk forgot to write one word in between. He had to write aatankwadi (terrorist), after writing Sikh and Muslims”.
“We wanted to mention that there should be a strict eye on Sikh and Muslim extremist organistations, like pro-Khalistan organisations. The word was missed, so it appears like we have clubbed the communities with terror outfits,” SP Jain said.
“We wanted to alert everyone to look out for terrorists ahead of the governor’s visit,” the officer said.
The SP issued a statement on Twitter, following senior Congress leader and party state general secretary K.K. Mishra’s remarks on it.
“Wow, SP Katni, thank you. Till now, BJP had been considering the country’s farmers and Muslims as terrorists. Of course, the government will not punish you, but award you a ‘Padma Shri’,” Mishra said.
वाह,SP कटनी,आपको धन्यवाद।अभी तक BJP ही देश के अन्नदाताओं व मुसलमानों को आतंकवादियों मानती रही!अब आपके नेतृत्व वाली पुलिस भी राज्यपाल के प्रवास के मद्देनजर इन्हें अधिकृत रूप से आतंकवादी मान रही है!आप SP हैं या BJP प्रवक्ता?यह सरकार निःसंदेह आपको दंडित नहीं "पद्मश्री" से नवाज़ेगी. pic.twitter.com/m0lQAOpzkV
— KK Mishra (@KKMishraINC) December 8, 2021
व्हीआईपी डियूटी के दौरान पुलिस द्वारा जारी विभागीय डियूटी चार्ट में निर्देश थे कि आतंकवादी संगठनों पर सख्त नजर रखी जाये, किन्तु लिपिकीय त्रुटि के कारण कुछ शब्द प्रिंट न होने से उस निर्देश का पृथक अर्थ निकाला गया हैं । 1/2
— SP Katni (@sp_katni) December 8, 2021
(Edited by Saikat Niyogi)
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