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Shakeel Ahmed: The Pride of Karnataka State Police
 A high profile Police Officer of the previous STF officer of Karnataka, M.Shakeel Ahmed joined as a probationary Sub-Inspector of police in 1981, after completing his M.Sc. degree in Geology from Manasa Gangothri, Mysore University. Within a short period of time, Shakeel made a mark as an upright, disciplined police officer. On completion of his training of the PTC (Karnataka Police Academy), he was posted to Chikmagalore in western range where he earned the appreciation of his higher-ups.
The then S.P Chikmagalore Mr. Paute observed in his confidential report on the young and dynamic police officer that he had become extremely popular amongst the public for his integrity, intelligence and dedication to duty and exemplary courage in tackling very difficult situation.
Shakeel had passed his IAS preliminary examination in 1982 while undergoing training as a probationary Sub-Inspector of Police at the PTC was denied the opportunity to appear at the main examination by the then Mysore SP S.T.Madiyal and the then southern range DIG Mr.A.P.Dorai by rejecting his application for leave to write the main examination which would have enabled him to rise high either as an IAS or an IPS officer. As if that was not enough, Shakeel who had also made it to the All India Geological Service examination held by the UPSC, was cut down in the interview twice.
After serving for about two years in Chikmagalore, Shakeel got a transfer to the State Special Branch Bangalore in 1985. Later he was posted to State Special Branch in Mysore city where he again made a mark as an able and efficient police officer. In 1988 Shakeel was posted to Lashkar Police Station (Mysore) crime branch. He showed his mettle as a tough, no-nonsense super cop in tackling "gujury lobby" (dealing scrap metal and such) and containing crimes and goonda elements backed up by politicians. Next year he was shifted to saraswathipuram police station in Mysore city as S.I of Law and Order. It was here during 1989-90 that Shakeel's popularity as a versatile police officer capable of accepting any challenge peaked. In just over a year Shakeel transformed this area into an almost "NO CRIME ZONE". His relentless drive against anti-social elements, moneylenders cum extortionist lobbies and hardcore criminals won him the respect of the public and his high ups. Shakeel is remembered with a great deal of respect even today by Mysoreans for his meritorious service as well as for the garden he had laid in Saraswathipuram police station premises.
It was a turning point in the young and able Shakeel's career when he got the shocking news of the murder of his colleagues namely S.I. Dinesh, S.I. Ramalingu, S.I. Jagannath and another by the notorious forest brigand and sandal wood smuggler Veerappan in Hogenkal falls in April 1990. At that time, Shakeel had been deputed on an important official assignment to Panjim. He cut short his official tour and rushed to Mysore on hearing about the tragedy. When the entire police force was demoralized and no police officer was willing to take charge of the M.M.Hills police station out of fear of Veerappan's guerrilla tactics, Shakeel salvaged the prestige of the Karnataka police by volunteering to hunt down the bandit. Shakeel joined the first STF of Karnataka under the command of the IGP Mr. K.U.Shetty who was later succeeded by IGP Madiyal.
Despite constraints, Shakeel left no stone unturned to track down Veerappan and his associates. Shakeel worked hard and with a crusading zeal along with his SP Harikrishna to captivate the bandit. Though the bandit managed to slip away, Shakeel achieved tremendous success in tracking down many of his hard core gang members and reducing the smuggling activities considerably.
Shakeel achieved a major breakthrough in February 1992; he managed to set a trap to catch the bandit and his gang alive. With legendary courage, Shakeel walked incognito into the jungles and established contact through a set of informants with Veerappan's lieutenant Gurunathan posing as an arms dealer, Shakeel turned Gurunathan into an arms deal which was intended to be a trap for Veerappan. But due to the hasty decision of his SP Harikrishna and the unnecessary interference of the then Mysore DIG K.R.Shrinivasan, it was bungled otherwise Veerappan would have been a closed chapter by February 1992.
Undeterred by lack of support and lack of equipments like night vision binoculars, Shakeel went ahead with gusto and zeal to track down the bandit who had now been forced to seek the support of granite and quarry owners to maintain his gang and also to avenge the killing of Gurunathan by the STF.
August 14,1992 will go down in the history of Karnataka police as the saddest day. For it was on this fateful day that the two high profile police officers- SP Harikrishna and Shakeel Ahmed fell to the assassin's bullets in the Meenyam forest range in the Ramapura limits, when Veerappan and his gang of terrorists ambushed them. There are many intrigue going aspects to the ambush. Why did the Mysore DIG K.R. Srinivasan stayed back in the Ramapura police station when he sent the two officers by a car to catch Veerappan in a fake ivory deal? The plan was not even decoyed. Veerappan snuffed out two precious lives on the eve of the Independence Day in 1992.
But for the betrayal by the fifth columnists inside the STF and the collusion of quarry contractors and politicians, Shakeel would have definitely succeeded in his mission to catch Veerappan dead or alive. Shakeel is a martyr who made the supreme sacrifice of his life in its prime. He will always remain a source of inspiration to the future generation of police officers for his legendary courage, exemplary integrity and his dedication to duty. Shakeel's honesty and integrity is exemplified by the fact that while he was working as a Sub-Inspector of police, Mysore city, Saraswatipuram police station, in 1989 Mr.N.S.Basavaraju (Retd. SP), Lokayuktha DSP suggested Shakeel's name for appointment to the Lokayuktha wing of Karnataka (which was headed by former DGP A.J.Anand). As luck would have, it did not come through, as subsequently Shakeel Ahmed responded to the formidable challenge of the bandit Veerappan in the thick forest on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Abdul Kareem, the person who fought the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments for a noble cause and his late son have proved:
"Cowards die many times before their death but valiant tastes death but once."
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