Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday highlighted the inefficacy of the State’s intelligence wing and underlined the need for special training while addressing the investiture ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.
“The staff deputed to the intelligence wing is not trained to gather and analyse intelligence inputs. Merely collecting media reports is not intelligence,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said, adding that the staff should analyse and update the State about possible threats rather than focussing on events than have already occurred.
The Chief Minister’s observation, while harsh, is not completely off the mark, said senior intelligence officials. A posting to the intelligence unit is seen as a punishment, said an officer, who did not want to be named.
Processing issue
“But the foot soldiers of the State intelligence wing are good. The problem lies in the middle order of the department. A major surgery is needed to fix it, and make the unit an efficient intelligence gathering wing,” said B. Gopal Hosur, former State intelligence chief.
He believes that an intelligence wing plays an important role in gathering information at the ground level, processing information, and giving feedback about the policies and decisions of the government.
He attributed the problem to the fact that most mid-level officers see the posting only as a stop-gap in their career path. “Most have not joined the wing by choice. There is no motivation, and if given a chance, most officers would gladly take up another posting. This has to change,” he said.
Officers blame their apathy on the nature of their assignments. One officer who is currently serving in the State intelligence wing and did not want to be named said: “As the department is directly under the control of the Chief Minister, officers are invariably focussed on political intelligence gathering to appease their bosses rather than comprehensive intelligence work.” This problem is not limited to Karnataka but to other State intelligence wings across the country, he added. It’s the main reason why a posting is considered “cursed”.
Holistic approach
There is hope that the Chief Minister’s observations will help bring about positive change. “As the problem has been addressed none other than the Chief Minister himself, the department should look at a holistic approach. The need of the hour is dedicated and trained staff,” Mr. Hosur said.
Officials believe that the department can be strengthened in three ways: first, by improving infrastructure in terms of manpower and technology. The second and perhaps the most necessary focus area is human resources and ensuring that dedicated officers are trained accordingly. The third, say police officials, is to improve the intelligence processing and disseminating protocols.
The staff deputed to the intelligence wing is not trained to gather and analyse intelligence inputs. Merely collecting media reports is not intelligence.
Siddaramaiah
Chief Minister
