J&K: Ex-cop questions govt move on moral grounds, says people's will vital
Mumbai: Former police officer Julio Ribeiro has said people's will is the "crux of the matter" in issues like Jammu and Kashmir, and he would not have taken decisions like the ones taken by the Union government from a "moralistic" perspective.
Ribeiro, widely credited for tackling terrorism as the head of Punjab Police with a strong hand in 1980s, said from the policeman's perspective, he will give full marks to the government's "clever" moves in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Centre on August 5 abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and also divided the border state into two Union Territories.
The government carried out these moves from New Delhi after a virtual lock-down of the state, by putting politicians and activists under house arrest, imposing curfews and suspending communication, much of which still continues.
"As a policeman, if you want to totally ensure there is no trouble, it was very cleverly done. From the police point of view, I will give full marks. But (from) the moralistic (point of view), I would not do. The people are supposed to be involved," Ribeiro told PTI over the weekend.
"Getting people on the side is the most important thing and that he (government) will have to do. Otherwise, you get this trouble. Getting people on your side is the crux of the matter," the former Mumbai police commissioner said.
Notably, a few media outlets, especially the foreign owned ones, have reported of violence in the Kashmir Valley which has left some people injured while there have also been more detentions of local people.
Ribeiro recounted that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had requested him to go to the northern state as the governor, and also deployed veteran politician Farooq Abdullah to persuade him when he declined the offer.
Vajpayee, the senior BJP leader, had come to know of his handling of militancy in Punjab by getting people on side, and wanted the same to be emulated in Kashmir as well.
"I said as the governor, I can't. As director general of police (DGP) or advisor to governor, I could, but as the governor I couldn't," Ribeiro reminisced.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
