It has become a cliché these days for government servants who retire from service to say, "Well, I may have retired, but not tired." That also means he is available for an extension of service or for another job. However, those who feel really tired and have retired from government service will tell you, "Well, enough is enough. I am really tired." And some really honest may well say, "I am sick of government service."

To the latter category, I suppose, belongs the author of the book "Sin of National Conscience" R. N. Kulkarni, a resident of our Mysore city. He retired in 1998 as Joint Assistant Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), refused to take any job, though opportunities were there, and bided his time for five years to write a book on Intelligence Bureau. Reason: The conduct rules say that after retirement one can't write a book for five years regarding the department he has served or write articles that may “spill the beans”.

No sooner this period of ban ended, he came up with the said book in 2004. Apparently, he has been labouring at it all the time immediately after retirement. With 451 pages between its covers, it is a pretty exhaustive book covering the whole gamut of the IB from its "extra - Constitutional status" to its overt and covert - working methods. Probably, an intelligent, discriminating reader will get an idea about the theme and the under - current of the book when he reads the epigraph in the opening page of the book which says:

When you read this book,
tell others about the unseen, unheard, unsung and
withered generations of Civilian - Intelligence personnel of Intelligence Bureau,
who gave their today
for the nation's tomorrow.

The word “Civilian – Intelligence” is the most critical word here, for it excludes the Police and military intelligence personnel of IB. Specially, the Police, the IPS bosses who man the IB from their high perch, bossing around enjoying a cushy job.

This view has clearly come out in the Author's Note in the book: "The IB is bereft of character, charter and road map due to the absence of any statute to govern its activity. The political masters and the Police management are unmindful of such unconstitutionality and continue to use, misuse and abuse IB for various purposes."

At present IB is not answerable to the Parliament even when such tragedies like 26 / 11 and the recent 13 / 7 strike our nation, partly due to intelligence failure. Which is why in a recent TV debate, one panel member, Asaduddin Owaisi, a MP from Hyderabad, was repeatedly urging to make IB answerable to the Parliament, as in America and the European countries.

Well, it seems dangerous and anyone who has either served in IB or has had a taste of its power is bound to get paranoid, if what the author says is correct. And he should know after serving in IB for 35 years.

And we the civil society and also the government will know the truth (and the truth shall liberate) once the Writ Petition filed under PIL in the Karnataka High Court in this regard by the author R. N. Kulkarni himself is decided. The PIL filed on 13th June 2011 came up for hearing on Monday, July 11, 2011 when the court directed the State and the Union governments to file an affidavit within 10 weeks on the functioning of the IB, according to reports.

It is a curious coincidence the PIL about IB was filed and admitted at about the time the country witnessed 13 / 7 terrorist attack in Mumbai. According to Kulkarni, there is something fundamentally fishy in the selection of personnel to IB, specially the Operatives. [See the brilliant and revealing cartoon on this point that only Ponnappa of Times of India could produce]. The selection of civilian personnel of IB depended not so much on the professional requirement or merit as on other extraneous consideration — like for example, will he be my man. As in political parties — loyalty. Will he do my biddings, whatever it is?

The author had written the book hoping that "the future of IB may be addressed rationally. The best way to do so is to set in motion a discussion. I understand that the most appropriate medium to convey the facts on the subject is a 'book'."

Again he says, "The purpose of this book is to reach out to the people of India and it is intended to trigger a process of debate and information, for the good of the country."

Speaking to our Correspondent, Kulkarni said that after he published the book, he thought it would trigger a national debate similar to the one Anna Hazare's fast had triggered about Jan Lokpal Bill. Unfortunately, the book did not ignite the minds of NGOs, our law makers and bureaucracy who are among the 120 crore population of our country.

First of all, the question arises, how many people have read the book? Secondly, how many are as seriously concerned about gathering of intelligence as about the evil of corruption? After all, corruption affects an individual directly while the intelligence, does not — well, if at all, only when tragedy strikes like it happened in Mumbai 13 / 7 or those earlier.

The book was published in 2004 and after a good seven years of our Lord, Kulkarni did not find the book setting in motion a discussion or triggering a process of debate as he had intended. Hence the author himself seems to have taken the issue on hand and filed a PIL. "When none among the 120 crore of people of our country took up the issues I had raised in the book for a discussion and a debate, I thought, as a last resort, I should approach the last bastion of our rights and freedom, the court," says Kulkarni with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Now, to me Kulkarni looks like a One Man Army. Like the poor Indian farmer ploughing his lonely furrow for his livelihood, here is a patriot, like Anna Hazare and his team, fighting a legal battle, not for his livelihood, but for the safety and security of the people of this land as much as for the integrity of the country.

Proper intelligence gathering is one of the many ways of achieving this goal. Rarely do we find retired people, well - settled and comfortable, daring to do what Kulkarni is doing. As an old pen - pusher, I can only wish him all the luck.

The sting in the tail:

In the '80s, M. K. Narayanan was a Deputy Director of Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau, controlling four States, with its office located in Chennai. It was the time when Indira Gandhi's Congress was on the decline, having lost the January 1983 Karnataka elections under Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao's leadership. Apparently, Narayanan was asked by the powers – that - be to make suggestions for strengthening the Congress party in Karnataka. So, Narayanan called a meeting of all senior officers of IB in Bangalore and in the meeting, these officers were asked to give their own assessment of the situation and make suggestions to strengthen Congress party. An example of how the ruling party was misusing the IB for its own benefit.

Many officers spoke and ventured to give assessment and made suggestions. One said: "The Congress party cannot foist a minority community leader as the Chief Minister and expect to strengthen the party or win an election." He was referring to Gundu Rao from a minority Brahmin community who was the Chief Minister when the State went for Assembly election and Congress lost.

Narayanan was livid with anger and said, "Do you mean to say the Congress policies are wrong?"

The IB officer said: No Sir. If the Congress party has to win in Karnataka, it can't go outside the majority community for leading the party to victory in the election. Leaders like Gundu Rao can't steer the party to electoral victory.

Narayanan (with a scowl): "Why do you harp upon Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities? Is it because you are a Lingayat? No need for further discussions."

This episode shows how IB sends distorted reports to the powers – that - be. The subsequent events, both in Karnataka elections and the terrorist attack of 26 / 11, have vindicated the opinion of that IB officer and also of journalist Vir Sanghvi in Sunday Express about Narayanan. And the IB Officer was R. N. Kulkarni!

Courtesy: Star of Mysore