Senior retired police officer and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Ribeiro has strongly criticised the increasing trend of politicians intimidating police officers. Speaking at a book launch in Mumbai, Ribeiro praised a young woman IPS officer for her presence of mind in recording a threatening conversation allegedly made by a Deputy Chief Minister.
“We must stand firmly behind such officers. Not only this Deputy CM but also other Deputy Chief Ministers and even the Chief Minister should refrain from threatening police and government officers. Laws have been framed by you, and now you are the ones telling officers not to follow them. The laws are sound; what is needed is effective enforcement,” Ribeiro asserted.
He was speaking at the release of “Brahmastra Unleashed”, a book authored by former Maharashtra DGP D. Sivanandan, which documents Mumbai’s fight against organised crime and the police’s decisive operations. The book was launched by Ribeiro in the presence of former Mumbai Police Commissioners Mahesh Narayan Singh and Satish Sahney, ex-intelligence officer V. Balachandran, State DGP Rashmi Shukla and Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.
Recalling an incident from his tenure as Thane Police Commissioner, Ribeiro said, “When I was running a strong campaign against illicit liquor dens, an MLA approached me asking to halt the action. I asked him if he was going to amend the law. Only if the law was changed could I stop the campaign. I told him to convey the same message to the Chief Minister. After that, no one called me again.”
Former Police Commissioner Mahesh Narayan Singh also shared memories of Sivanandan’s fearless policing. “When Sivanandan was transferred from the Intelligence Department to Mumbai, he directly came to my residence and informed me about a confirmed tip-off that AK-56 rifles had been hidden in a drain at Juhu Tara Road. We immediately conducted a raid and recovered a huge cache of weapons. Later, when I was appointed as Commissioner of Police, there were attempts to transfer Sivanandan, but I ensured that move was stopped.”
Explaining the purpose behind his book, Sivanandan said, “This is a narrative of the Mumbai Police’s victorious campaigns against organised crime. Such successes were possible only because of the collective efforts of many brave officers.”