Just like the Hollywood blockbuster “Gone in 60 seconds” it took less than 90 seconds for Pon.Manickavel to be shunted out of intelligence. 90 seconds was the timeframe fixed by Pon.Manickavel to his subordinates in intelligence wing to report any incident.
Whispers doing rounds in Khakhi circles is that Pon.Manickavel as soon as he was posted to intelligence wing started asserting himself as Number one. He started prescribing dress code for intelligence wing staff as he did during his stint in Central Crime Branch. Subordinates who fail to come to office in time and who fail to report any incident within his time frame – 90 seconds – were taken to task. Female subordinates who use to wear churidars were also given strict instructions to wear only saree. His high decibel shouts and the language he chose to pull up his subordinates made him unpopular in the intelligence wing.
Sources say complaints kept pouring in to DGP Ramanujam, who is also the state intelligence chief. Ramanujam who had a long stint in intelligence wing was disapproving of Pon.Manickavel’s ways and ideas of intelligence collection. As regularly reported in these columns Pon.Manickavel’s division of the intelligence wing on communal lines has also not gone down well with many. Staff working in the intelligence who doesn’t belong to the popular dominant community were sidelined and given a step-motherly treatment say insiders. His open teasing of obese staff, sarcastic comments on every issue and his constant dissatisfaction over everything seems to have made him very unpopular.Whispers doing rounds in State police head quarters is that Pon.Manickavel’s instructions to his subordinates regarding gathering of intelligence has also irked many quarters say sources. Pon.Manickavel concentrated his energies mostly in knowing intrinsic details of the happenings in former CM Karunanidhi’s both households and DMK related affairs which he thought would earn him the goodwill of Amma. The other main areas of intelligence gathering regarding law and order and communal disturbance were not given the importance they deserved.
Minutes after taking charge Pon.Manickavel carefully engineered the exit of K.N.Sathyamurthy from the intelligence wing, whom he considered as a parallel power center inside the intelligence wing, say insiders. Being sidelined Sathyamurthy himself opted out is the whispers in police circles.
However Pon.Manickavel’s exit from the intelligence wing is mainly attributed to the age old professional rivalry between direct recruit IPS officers and Group.I IPS officers in the state. Direct recruit IPS officers who always hold them one step high over the Group.I officers never take it too kindly to serve under a Group.I officer. This hatred grows manifold when the Group.I officer happens to be in a position of power and dictate terms. Pon.Manickavel being an officer of Group.I services, who was later inducted into IPS was issuing instructions to district SPs in his capacity as DIG Intelligence. Many of the district Superintendents of Police who happen to be directly recruited IPS officers, resented Pon.Manickavel’s command over them and were waiting for a chance to pull the rug under Manickavel. Sources say on many occasions he was too demanding.
Whispers doing rounds in police circles is that...Pon.Manickavel’s interference in the arrest of a notorious film producer based in Madurai who thrives in usury proved to be the last nail in his coffin. Anbu @ Anbuchezhian who was notorious for his high handed violent activities in the film industry was called for interrogation on a complaint regarding usury coupled with land grab. Sources say, Pon.Manickavel on a request from film actor Sarath Kumar had put spokes in the wheels of investigation and had reportedly asked Madurai Rural SP Asra Garg to put the investigation on hold until further orders. But Asra Garg who refused to heed to Pon.Manickavel’s words arrested Anbu and sent him for remand for which with there was a nasty reaction from Pon.Manickvel.
Word quickly spread that Pon.Manickavel is favouring Anbu and preventing officers from doing their job. The north Indian lobby which was waiting for a chance, grabbed this opportunity and passed on this information to the appropriate power center, which resulted in the untimely exit of Pon.Manickavel from the intelligence wing.
Also another buzz doing rounds is that Pon.Manickvel was given the task of arresting M K Stalin and his son...it was a well calculated operation...a compliant was made with the city police and an FIR was filed in no time, intelligence thought that M K Stalin will run for cover like M K Alagiri...but to the surprise of many M K Stalin reacted by lodging a counter complaint of land grabbing against Chief Minister Jayalilathaa. As M K Stalin's complaint hogged the limelight the government was forced to do some damage control. The entire M K Stalin's operation backfired causing huge embarrassment for Amma...as M K Stalin politically scored in the politics of vendetta. Sources say Jaya was furious due the fumbling of city police and the intelligence. But sources also add that given the clout of Pon.Manickavel with ‘Chinnamma’ he may very well make a come back and surprise his detractors.
