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November
30, 2005.
My dear colleague,
This is my last letter to you as your Director. I profusely thank
you all for your constant cooperation and able assistance in the discharge
of my onerous duties in one of the most important organizations in the
country today. Just as I will always remember my eventful association with
this organization, I can never forget that your work forms the bedrock of
this organization.
I have found during
certain moments that heading an organization is more difficult than
working in the organization, because as the head of the organization,
final responsibility for any failing rests with me and it cannot be
shifted anywhere else. But I have also found during this time, that
leading you was easy because of your unstinted professionalism. It was in
this ease that I savoured the honour. I shall always, in a sense, remain
in your debt. Nothing that I say to you can ever express the deep
gratitude that I feel for all the good work that you did during my tenure
that has raised the stature of the organization higher by a few notches
than it was when I took over as your Director two years ago.
I
wanted to say so much to you on this occasion. But these last few days for
me have been infinitely busier for me than my first few days in the CBI.
Nevertheless, I surmount the constraints of time and work to share some of
my views and sentiments on this occasion with you.
Today,
the CBI stands out as an emblem of professional efficiency and moral
stability. It inspires and commands the respect and trust of the highest
and the lowest, from the Highest Court in the land to the commonest child
in the street, the CBI commands public confidence, a rarity without
parallel in public life. I cite a single example. Recently, the Hon’ble
Supreme Court in a judgment observed of the CBI that " The little
people of this country, have high hopes from CBI, the prime investigating
agency which works and gives results…We cannot, right now foresee, any
substitute for CBI." I am happy that the Supreme Court thinks so
highly of the CBI. I thank you for having supported me during my tenure by
working so consistently well that the stature of our organization has been
enhanced by a few notches.
Taking over as your Director was a sobering experience for me because
having worked here as a Superintendent of Police, Deputy Inspector-General
of Police and Special Director, I was fully aware of the rigorous demands
of the overwhelming nature of routine and regular work that constitutes
the terra firma for the stature of the CBI. I understood that this Regular
and Routine work in the Branches like generation and verification of
Source Information Reports, registration, enquiry/ investigation of PE/
RCs, periodic reportage of Progress in cases under investigation/ enquiry,
prosecution of cases in Courts, monitoring cases under investigation/
trial, attending meetings to expedite registrations/ disposals, meetings
with Vigilance Officers of other organizations to exchange information
need to be done in consonance with the procedures and framework laid down
in the CBI Manual. The CBI success story rests only on procedural
discipline. I also understood that it was necessary to be supremely aware
of the necessity to enable our work to make an Impact—so that
‘targeted clinical strikes’ against the most corrupt persons in all
Departments through our ‘Special Drives’, Preventive Vigilance and
Preventive Audit result in pushing forward the larger purpose of
Anti-Corruption and Law Enforcement and people understand that it does not
pay to be a law-breaker in life. In the aftermath of the Right to
Information Act, the Branch Superintendents of Police have been nominated
as the nodal officers to meet the demands of the public and guidelines
have been formulated regarding what can be divulged and what cannot. I
also found that in the course of relations with colleagues and public, our
Conduct should always be above blame. “Caeser’s wife must always be
above suspicion.” Since the Courts and the public expect nothing but the
best from us, it must be ensured that you always give your best. I think
that our history of blameless conduct is one of the secrets of our success
in handling sensitive work with very few men, which entire Police forces
in State Governments could not. Dreaded criminals and influential notables
who do not fear the State Police respect the CBI because our officers have
an invisible weapon that even the worst of people respect in their worst
moments—disinterested honesty.
The CBI Crime Manual has been updated to
make it a more useful and relevant compendium of procedures and guidelines
for all Investigating, Supervisory and Law Officers to enable them to
expedite their work in a situation-sensitive manner. I thank all the
officers involved in making this immense mission, a reality.
I have tried to humanize the work place. I understood that CBI officers
like other human beings have personal and professional concerns and
problems, and can also err in their decisions and actions. These are to be
properly assessed and acted upon. Although as an enforcer of the law, I
have a responsibility, I have understood from my collective experience of
more than 37 years in public service that while “to err is human, to
forgive is equally human”, and have always never hesitated to forgive
someone for his error in judgement or act, unless his conduct necessitated
rigorous action. Fault-finding is not the only job in the CBI,
fault-correction is equally a responsibility that we must assume.
An officer who is self-satisfied can devote himself better to his work and
ensure better results in less time. These small things can make a big
difference. It was this in mind that I have tried to bring about a
flexible policy on transfers and expedited long pending promotions and
honours as also pending enquiries involving CBI officers. I have made it
possible for officers to serve in their Home States or States close to
their homes if their reasons for being there are founded on genuine and
necessary reasons and this has resulted in enhancing their performances.
I have toured all the far-flung CBI Units in the North-East and the
Andamans only to ensure that everybody felt he was as much a part of the
whole. Hitherto, officers were posted in the North-East usually on
administrative grounds, but now we have evolved a policy wherein officers
would be given a two-year tenure posting in these areas so as to save
hardship to their families and also to ensure that this Region is also
served by officers of ability and reputation. I have always urged that in
our interfacing with officers and members of the public including
witnesses, suspects and accused persons must always be managed in a humane
manner—soft spoken, gentlemanly and, beyond reproach. While handling
criminals is certainly not akin to hosting a seminar, I am convinced that
unpleasant tasks like searching a person’s premises, arresting him,
interrogating him, etc. can be handled in as civil a manner as possible. I
have always found during the time that I was a Superintendent of Police in
the CBI, that when ever I spoke to recalcitrant accused or suspects in a
soft voice, I communicated firmly the advantages of his cooperation which
would be to our mutual advantage, that is, the sooner we have the truth,
the sooner a chargesheet can be laid, so that the sooner he can pursue his
matters in the Court.
A Welfare Centre for CBI officers and staff was inaugurated in the CBI
Housing Complex in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi to serve as a model institution
of welfare for the family members of the CBI staff and officers to be
replicated in other CBI residential complexes.
During these last two years I also understood that the CBI was in the
midst of an evolutionary transformation from an Anti-Corruption
organization concerning public servants in the Central Government to one
of an omnibus character involving everything—Missing persons, Missing
secrets and Missing tigers. Today it has become the only central law
enforcement agency with the capability and the legal mandate to
investigate any criminal case in the country. I understood that the
stature and reputation of the CBI over these last two years as also over
the last decade has been from other types of cases as well—conventional
crimes (murder cases, terrorist cases, etc.) and new age crimes (cyber
crimes, intellectual property crimes, etc.) We have tried to build the
necessary infrastructure in sync with the changing charter of the CBI as
also to lend some dynamic balance to the entire process. Although
Anti-Corruption Branches still receive the highest attention, the
balancing process necessarily demands a shift in infrastructure, manpower
and resources to the Special Crimes Branches, Economic Offences Wings,
Bank Securities and Fraud Cells, Cyber Crime Investigative Units, etc. It
was with this in mind that I initiated the process of giving more
attention and support to ‘frontier crimes’ like wildlife crimes,
antique heists, human-smuggling, cyber crimes, etc., than was done before.
Further, with a view to preparing officers for handling any case including
those relating to ‘frontier crimes’ in future, to make them
heterogeneous Investigating Officers, to enable them to become Total
Investigating Officers capable of investigating any crime, I have ensured
that some Anti-Corruption cases are given to Special Crimes Branches and
some specialized crimes are given to the Anti-Corruption Branches. This
also has its merits in reducing the strains and stresses of monotony in
one’s work in the Branches.
Since a proposal by the Central Government for the creation of a Central
Law Enforcement Agency could not materialize because of constitutional and
legal hurdles, I promptly concentrated my efforts towards enhancing the
infrastructure, logistics, manpower and other resource levels in the CBI
so as to enable our organization to be able to meet the expansive charter
of growing demands. This was necessary because our organization needs to
be guided along an evolutionary path that is better suited to our existent
and imminent interests and concerns.
I am especially thankful to all the officers who provided me able
assistance and valuable inputs in completing a state-of-the-art CBI
Command Centre, which over time, can become the communicational hub of the
CBI with 24x7 on-line Video-Conferencing facility, exchange of information
and real-time use of cyber forensics, sniffer software and telephony
forensic software in investigations. I realized the abilities of my
officers when the CBI Command Centre received lavish praise from Mr Ronald
Noble, the Interpol Secretary-General, who visited us last year. So
impressed was he with this, that he has actually floated the idea of
Regional Cyber Crime Centres under the auspices of Interpol. His dream may
take some time to materialize, but when it does, I am sure that someone
would remember the contribution of some CBI officers who made this
possible.
In a media-driven image-conscious world where it is easy for anyone at the
top to become embroiled in a controversy for no fault or failing of his
own, during my tenure, if I have been able to keep away from controversy,
it is because you worked so well that you gave nobody anything to complain
about. There was a time when it appeared that some misplaced reporting
about CBI by a certain section of the media regarding the investigation in
the Satyendra Dubey case may engulf us in an unseemly and unnecessary
controversy, but our officers disinterred the truth behind the murder,
fixed accountability where it was due and this squelched the criticism.
The CBI is the friend of truth. If we always remember this, we have
nothing to fear. The media may accuse, the public may allege, other
influential sections may complain, but our only refuge against all this
remains in the one thing that was always with us: our commitment to the
truth. It acquits us of all criticism.
I have realized that as Director, CBI, I am only the Chief or First
Representative of the organization. As the First Representative of the
CBI, a lot of my time has been devoted to representing and projecting the
interests and concerns of CBI before national and international forums and
attending several Conferences
and Summits. Several times, I felt it was easier to serve in the CBI than
serve as its First Representative because of all these formal speaking
engagements. I could overcome this problem with the timely support and
reliable assistance of some colleagues. Although, I have no intimate
expertise with the intricacies of High-Technology, some of my techno-savvy
colleagues were able to get me to assimilate the warp and woof of
high-technology in such a short time during after-office hours and helped
me to prepare for two exceptional speeches on Technology in Investigation
in Manila and Berlin, which were appreciated by all the members of
Interpol. This helped generate a lot of goodwill and confidence amongst
the Member Countries in Interpol, that ultimately resulted in my election
to the post of Vice-President in Interpol. I profusely thank all the
officers concerned for providing me with invaluable back-office assistance
and support that resulted in these achievements. India won at Interpol
because of you. I won because of your work.
This hastily dictated farewell message and this expression of thanks to
you do not in any manner acquit me from any of my obligations to you and
this great organization. I shall always be available to be of any help to
any of you at any time. It has been such a deep pleasure working with you
all these years that parting with you now is a deep pain for me. I would
not have been able to endure this if not for some help from my retired
friends and family members who have prepared me for the inevitability of
retirement and old age. They have reminded me in different words on
various occasions that there is a time for everything in the
service—entry, promotions, transfers, honours, elevations and finally,
exit. I have understood that the only thing that remains constant in life
is: CHANGE.
I entered the Indian Police Service more than 37 years ago with great
hope. I now leave this distinguished Service with a sense of contentment
at seeing some of these hopes fulfilled, that is also tinged with a
certain profound sadness—that it could not continue any longer—and a
philosophical supplication, that someone else has to take it from now on
in my place.
Some of my colleagues in public service have had a lot of time to prepare
for their retirement. Working here with you continuously, I had little.
I now walk into the sunset of my career in public service. I now see
my
shadows lengthening as I walk away. My eyes begin to moisten. I also see
some moist eyes around me. My days in the CBI are contained in the files
of this organization, and perhaps, in the memory of some. In a sense, as
my life companion, my good wife, has frequently reminded me, I may always
remain with you, just as you will always remain with me: indelibly
engraved in my memory—crash-proof as my techie-colleagues may like to
say.
As I now hand over the baton to my successor, I wish him, and all of you,
the very best in your personal and professional lives. May this
organization scale greater heights that I could only dream of during my
tenure. May you all scale the summit of your dreams.
This is the last time that I get to see all of you from this Head Office.
After I leave you behind over here, I shall relieve my parting pains with
the weighty burden of my conscious thoughts containing all of you. All of
you. Yes, all of you.
May God Bless you all better than he has blessed me.
(I shall feel grateful if you could kindly
convey this message to all the other officers and staff who have not
received this directly from me).
Jai Hind!
(U.S.
Misra)
Director
November
30, 2005
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