Top police personnel of states and union territories— director generals of police (DGP)s and inspectors general of police (IGPs)—joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an early morning yoga session on the conference hall of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (NPA) in Hyderabad on Saturday. Led by an instructor, the PM practised different yogasanas for about 40 minutes at a 12oC temperature.
By now, this has become a practice for PM Modi to go for a yoga exercise session with the top cops of the country since his first DGPs’ meeting in Guwahati in 2014 and he did the same in the Rann of Kutch last year. The NPA bosses had done elaborate preparations for the yoga session with the PM since they received a communication from the PMO last week, sources in the academy told The Sunday Guardian.
This way, the PM wanted to establish a rapport with the DGPs and IGPs of the states as well as key Central police wings including IB, RAW, BSF, CRPF and ITBP. Before 2014 when PM Modi came to power, the DGPs’ conference was more of a customary event that was largely handled by the Union Home Ministers and the PMs confined to deliver inaugural speeches. And they were held only in Delhi.
But PM Modi changed that. He wanted these conferences were held in all state capitals sot that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs top brass would have a feel of the situation in different states and the top cops of the states will have a sense of involvement in the key summit on the internal security in the country, an official with the NPA told this newspaper.
The PM sat through the conference throughout the Saturday session from 8.45 am to 5 pm and even spent the brief lunch session interacting with the top police officials. With him, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, his junior ministers Kiren Rijiju and Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and other top officials, too, were present.
The PM who arrived in Hyderabad by a special flight from Chandigarh at 7 pm on Friday and drove to the NPA, preferred to dine with the DGPs and IGPs instead of dining in his suite at the Rajasthan Bhawan Guest House on the premises. The DGPs’ conference was marred by the suicide of a young police sub-inspector, Sridhar, 28, who shot himself with his service revolver at 9.30 am, while on the PM’s security duty. Sridhar, who came from Kumurambheem district for the special duty to Hyderabad three days ago, is suspected to have committed suicide due to failure in a love affair, local police said.
Addressing the DGPs’ conference, PM Modi called for intelligence policing in present times when terrorism and internal security have thrown up new challenges. The PM recalled that 26 November is the day that a deadly terror attack had struck Mumbai, and the police bravely fought against the terrorists. He also recalled the over 33,000 police personnel who have attained martyrdom, according to an official release. The PMlaid emphasis on concrete outcomes out of the actionable points that have been finalised. On training, he said the development of soft skills is now essential. On the subject of law and order, he emphasised the importance of foot patrolling and constabulary intelligence. The Prime Minister also launched a mobile app—Indian Police at Your Call.