‘TIDE IS DEFINITELY TURNING AGAINST
TERRORISM’ - PM
SHRI
VAJPAYEE APPRECIATES THE ROLE OF SECURITY FORCES
SPG
PERSONNEL HONOURED ON 18th RAISING DAY
The Prime Minister
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee has expressed the appreciation and gratitude
of the Nation to the bravery and dedication of the country’s police,
paramilitary forces and Armed Forces in the relentless struggle
against cross-border terrorism. Addressing the officers of the
Special Protection Group at the 18th SPG Raising Day
Ceremony in New Delhi today, the Prime Minister said that the
Security personnel especially deserve the Nation’s appreciation
and gratitude for their role in the successful conduct of Assembly
elections in Jammu & Kashmir.
Underlining that
the tide is definitely turning against the terrorism, the Prime
Minister said that "the occasional mass killing of innocent
men, women and children – as happened at Nadimarg in Jammu &
Kashmir recently – does not show that the terrorists are having
an upper hand. On the contrary, it demonstrates their desperation".
"The terrorists
and their sponsors hope that they can spark communal tension and
violence by targeting temples and killing Kashmiri Pandits. They
have not succeeded in this conspiracy. Nor will they in the future",
Shri Vajpayee asserted.
The Prime Minister
further said that in a democracy, no security agency can work
in isolation. It must take into account the compulsions of the
leaders it is assigned to protect as well as public sentiments
and convenience. "A certain degree of control and restrictions
are inherent in every security system. Therefore, some inconvenience
to the public is inevitable. However, it should be the endeavour
to keep this to the minimum. The Security persons should show
maximum sensitivity to the sentiments of ordinary citizens. Security
arrangements should be as unobtrusive as possible", the Prime
Minister said.
Appreciating
the fact that the security agencies have been functioning in extremely
trying circumstances, the Prime Minister said that the Government
will do its best to look after their welfare and improve their
working conditions so that they remain focused on their task.
The Prime Minister
presented the first Prime Minister’s Award instituted recently,
to Shri M. V. Raju, Security Officer of the SPG for outstanding
performance during 2002. Besides, the Prime Minister also presented
the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Services to Shri
V.N. Rai, IPS, IG of the SPG. Police Medals for meritorious Service
were presented on this occasion to 11 other officers and personnel
of SPG. These include Shri Amulya Kumar Patnaik, IPS, Deputy Inspector
General, Shri R.C. Bajjwan, Assistant Inspector General, Shri
Inder Singh, Senior Security Officer, Shri R.S. Yadav, Senior
Security Officer, Shri Karan Singh, Security Officer –II, Shri
Jawahar Singh, Security Officer – II, Shri Mishri Lal, Jr. Security
Officer, Shri Ram Janam Ram, Security Officer – I, Shri M. Rajagopal,
Security Officer – I (Comn), Shri Kalyan Singh, Security Officer
– II (MT), and Shri O.S. Awasthi, Junior Security Officer (Comn).
The Deputy Prime
Minister Shri L.K. Advani, Leader of Opposition Smt. Sonia Gandhi,
former Prime Ministers Shri I.K. Gujral, Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao,
Nagaland Governor, Shri Shyamal Dutta, Cabinet Secretary, and
other senior officials were among those present on the occasion.
