In the passing away of Mr. N. Krishnaswami, former Inspector-General of Police, Tamil Nadu, many of his former junior colleagues, like me, feel orphaned.
NK, as he was fondly called, belonged to the first batch of the IPS to be recruited after Independence. He and C.V.Narasimhan, former CBI Director, who belonged to the same batch, were regarded as twin jewels of the Service. The latter grew up in Tamil Nadu and the former in Delhi. They developed an incredible bond at the Central Police Training College, Mount Abu (Rajasthan), which lasted for more than six decades.
The two shared many qualities of head and heart that became a model to many of us who followed them. NK was sharp, witty and industrious. His tenure as Superintendent of Police in Tirunelveli in the 1950s is still remembered for his drive against indiscipline, casteism and dishonesty in the police force of the region. His innings as Deputy Commissioner of Police in the then Madras City under F.V.Arul, the fabled IP officer, was equally eventful. He had a brief spell in the Intelligence Bureau, New Delhi, which was cut short because of a family tragedy.
On his return to Tamil Nadu in the late 1960s, his remarkable knowledge of computer science and his zest to automate police management won NK great fame, nationally. He pursued this with incredible zeal and nearly transformed an indolent police organisation. Many police organisations elsewhere in the country came to him for advice and support.
As Secretary to the Tamil Nadu Police Commission headed by former Chief Secretary R.A.Gopalaswami, NK, almost single-handedly wrote the Commission’s report hailed as a path-breaking agenda for putting police administration on to the route to modernity. When a Government Order (GO) was to be issued by the TN Government to implement the report, I remember NK writing the long document in his own hand. The GO bore the marks of an economy of words and a precision that were his hallmark traits.
Chief contribution
In 1979, when the TN Police was reorganised under the newly-created position of DGP, NK felt offended that he was sidelined for the number two position IG (Services), which would have given him direct opportunity to implement the reforms he had visualised. In a huff, he put in his papers four years ahead of his retirement. This decision, which shocked many of his admirers like me, proved a boon to computer education in the State and elsewhere. He trained any number of young men and women at a nominal cost. This won him a large following outside the Police.
The best part of his contribution to the society was to come later in the form of Vidya Vriksha, a set-up which fused computers to Braille. This was a remarkable innovation that brought cheer to thousands of visually handicapped persons. His zeal and energy in this mission were to be seen to be believed. He travelled widely to secure funds for this organisation which is now well rounded.
NK was heartbroken when CVN passed away more than a year ago. Since then his health declined rapidly. The twins have undoubtedly left an indelible mark on policing and other areas of public life. They will always be remembered for their genuine desire to improve the quality of policing in the country. If their pursuit of excellence did not succeed, it was for reasons beyond their province.
(R.K.Raghavan is a former CBI Director)
