The four officers, who were targeted by Hasan Gafoor, are some of the most competent in the department. Of three of them I can say without hesitation that their integrity is totally above board.
Former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribiero has slammed director-general of police (housing) Hasan Gafoor for targeting four senior officers and criticising them for alleged dereliction of duty during the November 26, 2008, terror attack.
In the letter, a copy of which is with
DNA, Ribiero says Gafoor has erred by criticising his own juniors. “The four officers — KL Prasad, K Venkateshan, Param Bir Singh and Deven Bharati — who were targeted by Gafoor are some of the most competent in the department,” Ribeiro says in the letter. It is, therefore, almost suicidal for Gafoor to fault them for something that he was responsible for, he adds.
Defending the four officers, Ribiero says they are outstanding officers and a good leader would have made best use of their qualities to provide good administration and enhance his own personal reputation. “That Gafoor did not do so only reflects on his own failings,” Ribeiro said.
Criticising Gafoor’s leadership during 26/11, Ribiero said, “Ideally, the entire leadership of the operation against the terrorists should have been divided between Prasad and Gafoor. This is the usual and time-tested arrangement, which Gafoor seems to have jettisoned because of his own fears and suspicions. He went and planted himself in front of the Oberoi Hotel and ordered Prasad to station himself outside the Taj. This was an arrangement which was both ridiculous and laughable.”
At the time of the crisis, the entire city was anxious and wanted to know who was in charge. But Gafoor was not to be seen anywhere. “I spoke to AN Roy who was then the DGP. Since Gafoor by nature is a low-key individual who neither liked to be seen nor heard, I urged Roy to fill this void which was making citizens nervous and forcing them to ask who is in charge, Ribiero said.
“My main objective in writing the letter is to restore the honour and prestige of the four outstanding officers who have been named by Gafoor and also to restore the honour and prestige of the Mumbai police, who would have fared much better on 26/11 and the two succeeding days if they had had a good leader,” Ribeiro said.
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