MUMBAI, 6 March 2008 - In view of last month's clashes and violence involving Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, new Director General of Police Anami Narayan Roy said maintaining the rule of law was the basic responsibility of the police and that would be done at all costs.
In an interview with Indian Express published yesterday, Roy said "Anybody who takes law into his own hands will be dealt with sternly."
To a question how he planned to deal with the MNS issue given the possibility of more such problems in the run-up to elections, Roy said, "For the police, the constitution and the law of the land are supreme."
To tackle terrorism, Roy said, the Anti-Terrorism Squad would be strengthened with four new units equipped with the state of the art technology. "The existing ATS units would also be beefed up with additional manpower and other resources such as equipment and infrastructure. There is an urgent need to boost the present capabilities of the ATS," he said.
"Terrorism is an area of top priority for us and we will give it due importance. Fighting terrorism requires very sincere, concerted and prolonged efforts. The ATS will be strengthened to fight terrorism. Four new units would be set up in the state outside Mumbai. There is also a need to have close co-ordination between the ATS and agencies such as the state intelligence department, district intelligence bodies and federal agencies," Roy said.
To end corruption in police, Roy promised to be "ruthless."
"Nobody in the force will be tolerated if found to have criminal links. During my stint as Mumbai police commissioner I have used Article 311 of the Constitution to dismiss a tainted police officer Aslam Momin after his phone conversations with Dawood Ibrahim gang members were tapped. Constable Sunil More, who was convicted of rape, was also dismissed," Roy added.
