For Good Governance We Need Good Leadership - Julius F Ribeiro

Julio Francis Ribeiro is often called as Super Cop of India. He spent  almost 36 year of his career in the police force, an IPS officer from Maharashtra Cadre, started his journey from  the mofussil , where he got to see the quirky underside of small-town life. Thereafter, he tackled organized crime and violence - including, in its worst form, communal riots - with outstanding success in several cities. Bombay, under his charge as Commissioner, was spared the anti-Sikh riots that rocked cities throughout India in 1984. In 1986, He was promoted to Director General of Central Reserve Police Force, then to Director General Police of Gujrat Police.

Ribeiro served as Director General of Punjab Police during its worst years of terrorism in Punjab. In one of its comment The New York Times wrote that in the 1980s, Ribeiro led the Punjab police in a "ferocious crackdown" on Sikh militants, in a policy christened "bullet for bullet". By the way title of his autobiography was also “Bullet for Bullet : My life as Police Officer’.

He also served as Special Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Adviser to the Governor of Punjab.

Ribeiro also served as  Indian Ambassador to Romania from 1989 until 1993. 

He was attacked by militants/ sympathisers of militants  on two occasions once in 1986 in Police headquarters of Police at Julandhar and another one  in August 1991, in Bucharest but skipped almost unhurt.

Today Ribeiro was invited at Indo American Society to deliberate on Good Governance. Speaking on the occasion he said that  people in India  are very angry with US that it was having knowledge about Hedley’s involvement in planning 26/11 Fidayeen attack on Mumbai but it  had not handed over Headley to Indian Government. It was only on the basis of Hedley’s inputs Pakistani terrorists could be able to attack select targets. The fact remains that Hedley helped US to track Osama Bin Laden, so it is naïve to expect any Government to handover its own valuable asset  to any other country. But of course as a friendly country it did shared information with Indian Government that there is a possibility of some terrorist attack on Hotels, this warning input  did not percolate in Indian intelligence system seriously and we suffered such a big loss of credibility, human life as well as property. According to Ribeiro police can contain terrorism if it treats all community with dignity and fairness, trust, they will automatically get input of terrorist movements from the community elders after all everybody in the community is not bad and most of the people do not want to be blamed for the misdeeds of handful people.

He also said that how good governance is possible when police is not having good leadership. People with honesty, integrity and good leadership quality should be given top cop jobs.

The top officials should share their strategy and concerns with their juniors and this sharing should go down the line upto the level of constable.

He drew two different parallels between Punjab Police and Maharashtra Police. Punjab Police was able to contain terrorism because an ordinary policeman was also alert that he may also be attacked, another factor helped to contain militancy that the ordinary Sikh started realizing that Sikh militants targeting them also. In Maharashtra probably this realization is not there in lower level of police force. So the change of mind set necessary in police, it should treat all communities equally, create fear in the mind of criminals. In fact more than police force this realization should come in the political class also. Good governance will automatically come when police is allowed to work independently, postings and transfers should not be at whims and fancy of political class, there should be independent committee to dealt with transfers and postings, an officer should be allowed to complete certain period on a posting. Power of state should not be applied for personal benefit of some body.

Ribeiro cited another dangerous trend of protecting criminals with political patronage, he sited Jessica Lal murder case as an example, initially all the culprits could go scot free as they were strongly connected no body came forward to witness against them, it was pro activeness  of few electronic channels and NGOs that the case was reopened. It is also very bad that the criminals with political patronage even if convicted, spend most of the time in hospital or on parole.

Ribeiro, now in his seventies very active on social front, he and his group give free guidance, consultancy to the marginalized people, he feels that Right to information is a very powerful tool and it should be used to expose injustice.