« Slain Maharashtra ATS chief given state funeral

“When allegations are made by anyone, we feel hurt… “said Hemant before death in an interview

THE LAST television visuals of the 54-year-old IPS officer showed him in a light blue shirt and dark trousers surrounded by uniformed policemen armed with firearms and walkie-talkies. He wore a helmet, talked on his cellphone and finally put on a bullet-proof jacket before he met his deathly fate in the country’s biggest terror siege.

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief, Hemant Karkare, suffered three bullet injuries in his chest, as he was leading the offensive against terrorists at Mumbai’s Taj Hotel on Wednesday.

Karkare, who was the 1982 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, held a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Vishveshvarayya Regional Engineering College in Nagpur. He also served in the Naxalite-infested Chandarpur area of the state. He became the head of ATS in January this year following his return to the state cadre after serving seven years in Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Austria.

One of the brightest officers, Karkare had solved the serial bomb blasts in Thane, Vashi and Panvel and was also credited for the stunning revelations in the investigation of the September 29 blasts in Malegaon, which was subject to a lot of criticism by many Hindu organisations.

During the Malegaon investigation, Karkare had told his officers not to cook-up false evidence, saying, “We should do our job and it is for the court to decide”. Incidentally, the Pune ATS on November 26 reportedly received phone calls threatening to blow up the residence of Karkare “within a couple of days”.

In his last interview to a television channel on Wednesday, he referred to getting the custody of Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, and said, “Police custody would have helped investigations to proceed faster but still we will see how best to deal with it in a legal way”.

When asked about criticism levelled by BJP leaders, especially LK Advani’s outbursts against the agency, Karkare said, “When allegations are made by anyone, we feel hurt”. He rejected charges of the Sadhvi being tortured during police custody.

As he now rests in peace, people came out in streets in Pune, where was cremated on Thursday afternoon, to offer their reverence to a courageous officer. He was known for his discipline and fair investigation. He was respected in both police as well as media circles. His brave act of fighting the terrorists ended in a tragedy. This incident is a great of loss for Maharashtra and Indian police force; he will always be remembered for his brave and courageous acts.

Courtsey: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=150945&catID=2&category=India

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