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Kalimuthu, IPS hails from Manmangalam, a village 92 Kms away from Trichy, close to Karur. A village that is backward socially and economically. That he has climbed up the ladder from such a simple background speaks volumes. He entered the IPS in1972 and has won the President's medal for meritorious service, twice. He became the ADGP last year and is the Commissioner of Police, Chennai, from 1996. The list of Police Commissioners displayed in his office testifies to the fact that he has been the only one who has been in Office for such a long time. Others have served the office for not more than two years.
ChennaiOnline (COL): There have been officers of the Tamil Nadu Police who excelled in sports. For instance, Mr. Joseph of the Tamil Nadu Police participated in Olympics and won a medal, increasing the prestige of the State. The State's contribution (even that of the nation, so to say) to sports has been dwindling these days. You were a volleyball player in your youth. Around 12000 policemen are under your control. Have you taken any steps to identify the best talent among them and train them to participate in international sporting events? Kalimuthu (KM): There was a time when many a sportsperson was eager to join the Police force. The times have changed quite a lot. Nowadays they look for greener pastures like nationalised banks, Indian Railways, Air India, Indian Airlines, Indian Oil Corporation, etc. The main reason is the higher pay they get there. Sportspersons of those days had an interest in serving the people, by joining the Police department. The present trend is that, even those in the Police - youth especially - are on the lookout for better job opportunities. Many talented sportspersons do not come forward to take the police service. It is a sad state of affairs. We would indeed welcome such talent joining us. COL: Were there any sentimental incidents that affected you in the execution of your duty? KM: I don't allow sentiments to intervene in my duty. (Pauses reflectively.) Yes. There was one incident that came between me and my duty. It was 1997. I was the IG (Law & Order). The Chief Minister participated in a conference in Trichy. I was responsible for his security arrangements. Some organisations were preparing for a black-flag-demonstration against the Chief Minister. The situation was tense. I had the responsibility of supervising the arrangements and to ensure that nothing untoward happens in the city during the conference. I went to my village, Manmangalam, the night before, to see my ailing mother. (His voice chokes.) I could sense that she would live no longer than a few hours more. I told my brothers - four of them - to take care and returned to Trichy. The CM's programme went well. There were no adverse incidents. I was heaving a sigh of relief. It was then that I received a call from my home, informing me that my mother expired. I then proceeded to my village with a heavy heart, performed her obsequies and returned to Trichy to resume my duties, the same afternoon. COL: You were the DIG of Coimbatore around ten years ago. Sathiyamangalam, Bannari, Erode, the forest areas of Nilgiris, etc. were under your control. What did you do to nab the forest brigand, Veerappan?
He was operating in the vast forest areas of Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Salem, Dharmapuri and parts of Karnataka. It was only when I was serving in the western zone that people came to know of the existence of Veerappan. I came across a report on him in the press. It was 1988 when elections to the Parliament were due. We set up a special squad to gather information on him. I forwarded the information thus collected to the State Government through Mr. Durai, the then DGP, requesting for the formation of a special task force to nab him. A special force was formed for the first time, to bring him to book. Mr. Bhaskaran, SP of Erode, Mr. Rajendran, SP of Coimbatore and the SPs of Nilgiris, Salem and Dharmapuri were in the team. The team started its work under the leadership of Commandant Gopalakrishnan. Mr. Radhakrishna Raja, who was DSP (Forests) was also in the team. It was due to our efforts that the search for Veerappan started. COL: You were the IG of the Task Force that was formed to apprehend Veerappan. Why was it that he could not be arrested? KM: While we did all in our power to follow his movements, our biggest handicap was the non-co-operation of the villagers, who were fully aware of his whereabouts. Strangely, a few journalists were acting as informants to Veerappan, on the movements of the Police, through the villagers! It has been their regular practice. Very sad indeed. Everyone is aware that he is a maniacal murderer; a plunderer; a scum and a casehardened criminal. Yet, even such responsible citizens do not realise their social obligations, on this particular issue. You are aware of the topography of the Western Ghats. There are numberless valleys, dense forests. The area is prone to dense fog and rains. An extremely dangerous, risky and difficult place to trap him. We break our heads and infer his possible hideout. When we set our first foot out, the news leaks out to him through these persons. Despite all these, after I assumed charge as the IG (Law & Order) and was placed in additional charge of the special task force of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, we have arrested several of his accomplices. We have manoeuvred the surrender of several others. We have recovered the arms and ammunition that they had stolen from the Police. COL: Chennai is becoming another Mumbai. There are groups of dhadhas operating in the city. Of course, it goes to the credit of the Police functioning under your leadership that goondas and hooligans like Aasai Thambi and Kabilan were killed. But it cannot be considered as a complete victory. The City can heave a sigh of relief only if the root is extricated and muscle power kneels before moral power. What are your plans? (The Commissioner's answer appears in the second instalment.) By Viththagan |
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Kalimuthu, IPS, kept his cool throughout our interview with him, though our questions were critical, carping and plainly worded. 
KM: If people know him as the worst, heartless ruffian who was responsible for the ruthless killing of hundreds; who killed numberless elephants and smuggled the tusks out of the country illegally and plundered the forest wealth indiscriminately, it was because we disseminated the information. 