In an interview to TOI, city police commissioner K Periaiah said that they have a strong special intelligence cell which is pro-active and extremely efficient in resolving various issues, especially communal disharmony. Excerpts from the interview:
Several political parties state that there is a rise in extremist activities and Coimbatore is becoming a haven for extremism. Is it true?
There is completely no truth in such statements. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, Coimbatore is one of the safest cities for children and women. We have immense public support when it comes to policing. There are just a few incidents of violence but not extremist activities. Even these have come down as we have taken action against those making hatred speech and whoever tries to disturb the communal harmony of the city
What steps have you taken to curb violence in future?
We have a strong intelligence team as well. Public support to the police is immense. We get several petitions from various outfits and we try to resolve the issues then and there to ensure they do not grow into bigger problems
Several instances of NIA visiting the city and investigating with the youths have been reported. And after the Sasikumar murder, incidents of petrol bombs being hurled have been on the rise. Does this mean, there is an increase in incidents of violence?
Certain acts that have recently taken place were retaliatory in nature and they were definitely not communal. Due to certain acts in politics and certain statements, other party’s members react. This cannot be termed as extremism. People want peace and harmony. Coimbatore is growing very fast in terms of economy and such violence will only slow down its growth. People understand that and they do not want it.
Political parties have blamed the police of being soft on some party cadres and taking stringent action on others. Even during the 1998 bomb blasts police was blamed for many activities?
All of us may have our ideologies but once we wear the uniform we are here only to serve the people. My police officers are well-trained and none of them will indulge in any act that will cause disrepute to the department. All the officers are working very hard and we have developed many community based activities to ensure that police and community work together.
