H. J. Dora: A Legend of Modern Policing

Famous American Army commander Douglas MacArthur said: “Old soldiers never die; they just get lost.” This sums up HJ Dora’s life and legacy.

Police officers who were on the ground in the 1990s and 2000s, fighting the menace of left-wing extremism, popularly known as Naxalism, will recall the leadership dynamics of Dora, who became a legendary police officer not only of Andhra Pradesh but of the entire country.

The initial spread of Naxalism originated from Srikakulam (inspired by the Spring Thunder of Bengal), where civil servants like BN Yugandhar, IAS (father of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella) introduced a new perspective in government policies towards Naxalism. It later spread to North Telangana; many targeted killings took place here, including the murder of Hayagrivachary, a close friend of the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao; It then engulfed parts of South Telangana where many police stations were attacked and arms looted, eventually finding a haven in the Nallamalla forests.

The circle was completed when Naxalism again affected the AOB (Andhra-Odisha Border). The Naxal range has been mythically represented by extremist ideologues as “Tirupati to Pashupati (Pashupatinath in Nepal)”. Dora and her team witnessed this spread and fought the threat in all districts and police stations.

For the first time, Naxalism was treated as something beyond a mere law and order issue. Dora takes the credit for convincing the then political dispensation to adopt a multi-pronged approach, resulting in all levels of the administration being involved.

The “Hot to Hot, Cold to Cold” approach took shape. The armed dalams had to be neutralized, but those who came forward to surrender and join the mainstream were encouraged by one of the best rehabilitation programs in the country. Many states subsequently followed the model of undivided Andhra Pradesh in this regard.

During my visit to Guntur, where I was posted as Superintendent of Police, Dora observed: “A man’s work is not done when he is defeated, his work is done when he gives up.” When I asked him why it took us so long to contain Naxalism, he said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

I worked under DGP Dora as SP Prakasam and SP Guntur. This was the intense phase of Naxalism in the coastal areas of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Serious incidents included the murder of Congress MP Magunta Subbarami Reddy, former Chief Minister N. Janardhan Reddy’s narrow escape in a mine attack, the killing of several public representatives and an attempt on the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at Alipiri in Chittoor, in which a near-perfect array of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) were detonated simultaneously.

Chandrababu Naidu was the first Prime Minister to take a very tough stand on Naxalism. IPS officer and my batchmate Umesh Chandra was killed at SR Nagar junction, in the heart of Hyderabad. I remember attending the IPS officers meeting at the DGP office the next day. The gloom in the air was unnerving.

When I joined my first assignment as ASP Jangaon in 1992, there was fear in the air and the work ethic of the Telangana region and the entire region. Police went to police stations not in government-owned jeeps, but in tractors, RTC buses and trucks over long distances. For short distances, tactical marching, following the principles of field craft and tactics, was the only means of survival.

The killing of SP Pardesi Naidu at Kolhapur in Mahbubnagar proved the Maoist dictum of “kill one and terrorize a thousand”. I was posted as OSD Mahbubnagar immediately afterwards and the debris of the mine attack that killed the SP and 13 other police officers was still in Somasila when I visited the scene.

Meanwhile, Dora took the reins of the state police. Their tasks were manifold: to build confidence in the lower levels of the police force and to convince the political leadership that the strategies and tactics adopted by the police would yield results in the long term, although there might be initial setbacks in the form of sensational incidents and attacks on the police and paramilitary forces. I remember as ASP, I had a company of BSF under me in Jangaon. In a district like Warangal, there were 12 paramilitary forces, now collectively referred to as the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).

What made Dora a great leader? The term applied can best be summarized in ten. Even an assistant police officer was always available on the phone, listened patiently and immediately offered a plan of action. He designed an unconventional reward and incentive system. This reminds us of Sun Tzu, who wrote in The Art of War that rewards should be such as are not found in any manual or book.

Police officers in undivided Andhra Pradesh were sent abroad for training as a reward and incentive for hard work. From the organization’s perspective, this also exposed them to global best practices. Accelerated promotions and cash rewards were given for contributions to the fight against Naxalism. A generation of police officers rose through the hierarchy through multiple unconventional promotions.

In the field of conventional crime, these were the times when organized crime gangs were active in many parts of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Special courts were created to bring criminal cases from multiple districts into a single court for the speedy trial and conviction of these notorious gangs.

Some Pardi gangs and notorious dacoits in various residential areas were convicted in record time. Within five years, the state was almost free from these gangs.

For the first time in history, Supreme Court Chief Justice Justice Prabha Shanker Mishra visited the DGP office and addressed police chiefs and senior officers. It paved the way for a better understanding of all wings of the criminal justice system. Later, I had the honor to host Justice Mishra in Guntur; here he had a detailed interaction with district police officers.

My third innings with Dora was when she joined Delhi as DG, CISF. I was working as a Group Commander in CISF. Dora soon left an indelible mark on this force as well, before leaving to join the Central Vigilance Commission.

This was a period when CISF was almost liquidated and there were discussions about merging it with CRPF and BSF. Trinath Mishra and Dora’s efforts gave new life to the CISF by convincing the Center to entrust airport security to the force.

I witnessed the initial challenges faced by every airport in the transition from local police to CISF. Local police were extremely reluctant to hand over responsibility to a Central force, and many state governments were also hesitant. It was perhaps the impact of the Kandahar Air India flight hijacking that made possible the development of a highly specialized aviation security unit within the CISF.

I remember making a series of PowerPoint presentations at Dora’s Delhi office after visiting airports in New Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Patna, Ranchi, Gaya, Guwahati, Bagdogra and Hyderabad. The first SOPs for various airport security sectors were developed during these early years of the launch of CISF. Even after her retirement, Dora continued to share her expertise when she joined GMR Group, one of the leading players in the aviation industry.

A police officer’s contribution cannot be judged by his behavior alone. Dora’s wife, Meenakshi, brought with her immense love and a family connection for the police force. I remember taking a long walk with the couple on Chirala beach. My wife Vasundhara, who has just joined the post after maternity leave, praised Ms. Dora for her advice on work-life balance and the subtleties a lady should know as the wife of a senior police officer. Since my wife is also a working woman, she talked about this visit for a long time.

On behalf of the Indian police force and all ranks of the uniformed forces, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the legendary police officer HJ Dora.

(The author is a former Chief of Police.)