DG Lohia Murder: Expert in intelligence matters, could not break the maze of his murder
So what is to be believed that Hemant Lohia, who gathered vital intelligence for the Jammu and Kashmir Police for his entire age (during his job as IPS), failed to crack the maze of his own murder conspiracy? On this fellow officers say, “It will be clear only after investigation that what was the reason?”
Image Credit source: PTI
1992 batch of Jammu and Kashmir cadre Indian Police Service senior officials of and the Director General of Prisons of the State Hemant Lohia He was a master of gathering intelligence. In this work, his cheerful and friendly nature always kept him apart from the crowd. He believed in having a calm mind and in keeping even his enemies as friends. There must have been hardly any person in the life of Hemant Lohia, who could have once lived without being a fan of this soft spoken nature rich IPS. In such a situation, the question arises that after all, Hemant Lohia is as promising, soft spoken and in the police department from the Pakistan border to the entire Kashmir Valley, intelligence inputs How did this maestro of mobilization fail to penetrate the maze of his own murder?
TV9 Bharatvarsh on Tuesday (just a few hours after Hemant Lohia’s murder), in search of an answer to this question, spoke openly to all the police and non-policemen from Kashmir Valley to Delhi. The bottom line of this conversation came out from the fact that IPS Hemant Lohia was different from the crowd even in the job of khaki uniform.
‘Lohia was a non-disputed officer’
Wherever he was posted in the Kashmir Valley. There he left the mark of his friendly and cheerful nature on the hearts and minds of the police and non-police people. So for the police department in the Kashmir Valley from 2005 to about 10-12 years after that, a police officer collecting intelligence like Hemant Lohia was not present. Some people who know Hemant Lohia closely, openly, many people confirm this by hiding their identity for personal reasons.
In this regard, TV9 Bharatvarsh has done police service for many years with Hemant Lohia and former Director General (Prosecution) of Kashmir Valley, Syed Afadul Mujtuba. Syed Afadul Mujtuba is a 1998 batch former IPS of Jammu and Kashmir cadre. He is also a member of the Jammu and Kashmir State Subordinate Services Selection Board these days.
According to Syed Afadul Mujtuba, “My first meeting with Hemant Lohia sir was in 1984. Then I got selected from the Jammu and Kashmir State Police Service and reached the Gandhi Nagar sub-division of Jammu for posting. At the same time, Sir (Hemant Lohia) was also the SDPO. I will remember that meeting for all ages. After that I got an opportunity to do police service in Central Kashmir (Bandarbal, Srinagar, Budgam) with him sir. About Hemant sir, I can say with certainty that he was a non-controversial and friendly police officer. He always stayed away from the news of the media. But whether it is the media or the general public or the police department. Everyone was in awe of his nature.
‘IPS Lohia never lost patience’
Today, after the murder of Hemant Lohia, there is an uproar in the Indian Police Service and the Jammu and Kashmir Valley. Someone is telling it just a sudden incident of murder. So someone is telling the incident of killing of Hemant Lohia, Director General of Prisons of the Valley, by terrorists, an open challenge to the Indian government at a time when Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a three-day visit to the Kashmir Valley.
In such a situation, while recalling the memorable moments in Jammu and Kashmir Police with Hemant Lohia, Syed Afadul Mujtuba says, “The calm nature, the most laughable meeting was the first identity and purpose of his life. This was the reason that everyone used to be his admirer. If he ever had to express his displeasure. So they also did not let the person in front know. Patience was infinitely present in him. I never saw him lose patience during his many years working with him in the sensitive police force of Jammu and Kashmir. Normally, this quality is rarely seen in a police job for anyone.
Lohia was also in the SPG formed for the PM
According to several former police officers of the Valley, “Hemant Lohia’s posting in the state police, whether in Doda or Rajouri in the Kashmir Valley, adjoining the Pakistan border. Everywhere he remained as a meeting of the police department and the common man. Due to this nature, he got the advantage that, he used to have amazing intelligence input on his own. He never felt the need for more government funds to gather intelligence in the interest of the country, nor did he have to make any unnecessary effort to collect intelligence inputs. The intelligence for which all the police in the rest of the valley used to sift for months. That intelligence used to come out of sensitive areas and come to Hemant Lohia himself.
Hemant Lohia was also in the Special Protection Group on deputation for a long time i.e. SPG (Special Security Squad) formed for the Prime Minister. After that he was also posted in the Border Security Force. Shortly before, he had returned to his original police service cadre (Jammu Kashmir Valley Police) after spending a long time on deputation in the BSF.
In such a situation, the question is bound to arise that why the officer with such a capable and unquestionably calm minded cheerful disposition would be murdered? In response to this question, no present and former police officer of Jammu and Kashmir Valley spoke openly. Sunil Garg, who was Hemant Lohia’s batchmate in the Indian Police Service, definitely talks to TV9 Bharatvarsh. Sunil Garg has already taken voluntary retirement from the post of Special Commissioner (Training and Operation) in Delhi Police six months back.
Questions raised on Lohia’s murder?
According to Garg, “I had closely tested Hemant Lohia. His cheerful and friendly nature was his hallmark. Neither did he believe in listening to anyone’s words, nor did he spend much time narrating his words to anyone. Sunil Garg further says, “I was posted as DIG and IG in Srinagar (Central Kashmir) in 2005-2006 and again in 2011-2012. Had met him then. He remained the same as he was during the training of IPS, even after becoming an Inspector General of Police level officer. Hemant I found in that meeting even more calm, sensitive person.
According to an IPS officer who was once the SSP under Hemant Lohia in Srinagar, “We used to sit in the office. And sir used to surprise us by giving intelligence inputs. He had so much solid information that whenever he gave input (intelligence information) to some department (to Jammu and Kashmir Police), it never went waste or let it be empty.”
So is it to be believed that Hemant Lohia, who gathered vital intelligence for the Jammu and Kashmir Police for his entire age (during his service in the IPS), failed to crack the maze of his own murder conspiracy? When asked, the same IPS officer said, “It will be clear only after investigation that what was the reason? Yes, the manner in which Hemant sir has been murdered is an open challenge not only to me but to the entire Jammu and Kashmir Police. Which will not open today or tomorrow. So see, some surprising truth will come out.
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