M.P. Nathanael | A proven force is better than taking new inductees to secure Parliament

The “unprecedented misbehaviour” of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel with Rajya Sabha MP M. Mohammed Abdulla on June 18 has led to his lodging a complaint with vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar, the Chairman of the Upper House. He was questioned by the CISF personnel about his “purpose of visit” to Parliament. The “incident has deeply affected me,” the MP said.

Last month, another DMK MP, Tiruchi Siva, was asked to show his ID thrice inside Parliament. Reports of misbehaviour by CISF personnel have been reported in the past, but no severe action seems to have been taken against those responsible, to be a deterrent to others.

On June 6, CISF constable Kulwinder Kaur slapped actor-MP Kangana Ranaut at Chandigarh airport before she was to board a flight for Delhi. Kulwinder nurtured a grouse against the actor for her unpalatable comments on the farmers’ agitation from November 2021 to December 2022 on the Delhi Haryana and Delhi-UP borders. The actor had said women agitators had been paid Rs 100-200 each for participation.

Kulwinder Kaur’s mother and brother were among the agitators, with the latter spearheading the agitation as secretary of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti.

In August 2020, a CISF officer had the temerity to ask DMK MP Kanimozhi at Chennai airport how she could claim to be an Indian when she couldn’t speak in Hindi. Though Ms Kanimozhi walked away and showed maturity by not engaging in a fracas with the CISF man, she took to Twitter to express her annoyance, which drew media attention. Hindi imposition on South Indians became the subject of a media debate.

On December 12 last, Sharmila Rajasekaran, an engineer, was mocked at by a CISF lady officer for not knowing Hindi at Dabolim airport. At the security check, she was asked to pick up a tray, but she didn’t understand Hindi. To this, the CISF officer asked her if Tamil Nadu was in India, and if so, she should learn Hindi as it was the national language. Ms Sharmila corrected her, saying that it was official language. She googled to prove her point. In her complaint to the CISF head at the airport, she said the way she “was treated was inhuman and culturally insensitive”. Condemning the incident, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin said that non-Hindi speaking air passengers often face such harassment by CISF personnel.

The extent of insensitivity of CISF personnel can be gauged from another incident at Kolkata airport in January this year, when Arushi Singh, a wheelchair-bound passenger, was asked thrice to stand and walk two steps despite her explaining about the disability from birth.

Following the breach of security in the Parliament building on December 13 last year, when two men jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery and lobbed smoke cannisters they managed to smuggle in, by placing them in cavities of shoes, a thorough survey was done on the security of Parliament by a team led by CRPF director-general Anish Dayal Singh.

While Parliament’s security falls within the domain of responsibilities of The Lok Sabha Speaker, the Union home ministry replaced the Delhi police, CRPF and even the Parliament Security Staff (PSS) with the CISF. This despite the fact that the CRPF and the PSS acquitted themselves exceedingly well.

A daring attack on Parliament House on December 13, 2001, by five heavily-armed terrorists was effectively warded off by alert personnel of the CRPF and who prevented them from entering the main building. They were all shot dead by CRPF personnel, who were manning various gates. While taking on the terrorists, Lady Constable Kamlesh Kumari was fatally hit by bullets. For her derring-do, she was awarded the highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra. Five other CRPF personnel were awarded the Shaurya Chakra. The citadel of democracy was saved from what could have been a catastrophic event if even one of the terrorists had sneaked into the main Parliament building.

Six terrorists who made a daring attempt to enter Srinagar airport, then guarded by the CRPF, on January 16, 2001 were neutralised before they could enter the airport. Four CRPF personnel including a lady constable were martyred in the fierce encounter just outside the airport. For their valour, five were honoured with gallantry medals.

The CRPF has proved its mettle in securing high-risk buildings umpteen times since its raising in July 1939. The withdrawal of the CRPF from Parliament is not a step in the right direction.

It will be much better to deploy a tried-and-tested force than to induct a force which hasn’t had the exposure or experience to handle daring attacks on important high-security buildings. With the CISF taking over the duties of the Parliament Security Service, uncertainty looms large on the latter’s future. With their long experience of dealing with MPs and other staff, PSS personnel are better placed to recognise everyone and must continue with the duties they were performing. They can be either taken on deputation with the option for permanent absorption in the CISF or deployed to work in tandem with the CISF as they had been with the Delhi police. They could be permanently posted in the Parliament security set-up till retirement by making an exception to the transfer policy of the CISF, which necessitates the replacement of personnel by new inductees periodically.

The security of Parliament can’t be compromised in any way and the best of security manpower and apparatus must be deployed. A tried and tested force is always better than any new inductions.