The echoes of the three-gun salute were still reverberating across the Nabagraha cremation grounds as various dignitaries, senior bureaucrats, and a host of police officers paid their respects to the former Assam DGP Khagen Sarma, IPS. But to many of us, the echoes resonated ironically for a man who had dedicated his life to stopping the sound of gunshots in the State.
“Khagen Moha” as I knew him, was born in Konimara village near Tihu, in 1955, and he first displayed his capabilities by securing the first rank in the HSLC examinations from Tihu High School in 1971. He also went on to get the sixth rank in the then Pre-University (PU) examinations from Cotton College, Guwahati, before completing his post-graduation in Philosophy from Gauhati University.
Serving initially as a college lecturer, he cleared the civil services and went on to serve Assam Police as one of its most dynamic IPS officers. “Khagen Moha” was a 1982-batch IPS officer and had served in Assam Police’s Special Branch (SB) as the IGP and ADGP, when he successfully brought the ULFA and both factions of the NDFB to the negotiating table.
During his tenure as the ADGP (SB), 668 militants belonging to nine terror outfits of the State surrendered before the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram but these are only official statistics, the actual figure was estimated by senior police officials to be in excess of 5,000 militants and extremists over his 30-year career. Participating and eventually presiding over a tumultuous period of Assam’s law enforcement, he saw the rise and fall of militancy in the State, and led the Assam Police from January 17, 2014 to December, 2015.
Known for his deft handling of law-and-order issues, Khagen Sarma played a key role in facilitating parleys with a number of banned outfits. In the course of a career spanning 33 years, Khagen Sarma also revamped the SB (Special Branch), the intelligence wing of the Assam Police, which he led for over a decade. After joining as the DIG of Special Branch in 1997, he went on to serve as the DIG, IG and Additional DG of the intelligence wing before taking over as the Director General of Civil Defence and Home Guards in 2013. During his career as an IPS officer, he had served as Superintendent of Police of Karimganj, North Cachar Hills and Jorhat, besides being appointed as the Principal of the Police Training College. He was also the DIG of Police of the Northern Range. Instrumental in bringing many militant groups, including a large number of ULFA leaders, to the mainstream, he rose from one position to another and went on to become the DGP of Assam before superannuating from service in 2015.
Hailed as a modern-day “Chanakya” for his cool, calm demeanour and exceptionally strategic actions, he was always polite, mild-mannered and extremely health-conscious. A fond childhood memory was ensuring that he always had lukewarm water to drink whenever he came for meals. However, we all owe life a death and so it was for him, when he was diagnosed with intestinal ailments which were eventually confirmed as cancer. Wishing to be in the State in his last days perhaps, he breathed his last on 25th October and was laid to rest with full State honours on the next day. But “Khagen Moha” still lives on, for all of us, his son Trinayan (Rumon) and wife Bandanaa (Kukunee). We were blessed to learn many valuable lessons and life in general from this towering inspiration. He lived a life full of achievement and service to the State.
The gun-shot salutes may fade, but his memories will live on.
– Debashish Goswami