An officer and a gentleman

Roopinder Singh

Ved Prakash Marwah was a leader of uncommon grace and courage. He tackled various challenges, thrown his way during his long and distinguished career, with aplomb. Gentle in demeanour and firm in convictions, he served as a police officer, an administrator, adviser and Governor of three states.

His family moved from Peshawar in 1947 and was allotted a place in Delhi’s Khan Market. He studied economics at St Stephen’s College and joined the police in late 1950s. Marwah shot into news after the 1984 riots in Delhi when he headed an inquiry commission to investigate reports of alleged police connivance in the violence. He was then Additional Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

His diligence in pursuing his assignment made many people uncomfortable. He seized police diaries and sent notices to various police officials who, in turn, slapped defamation cases against him. In mid-1985, he was abruptly asked not to proceed further and his files were taken from him. He, however, kept his handwritten notes and handed these over to the Ranganath Mishra Commission set up by the government.

Regarded highly for his professionalism and courage, Marwah was not popular with the government of the day at that stage of his career. However, the Punjabi community and Sikhs held him in high esteem.

Given his seniority and record, he became Commissioner of Police in Delhi (1985-1988) and helped introduce police reforms. However, there was an incident involving breach of security of the motorcade of a visiting Russian dignitary on his watch. He took the fall.

He was later awarded the Padma Shri and served as the Governor of Manipur and Jharkhand with the additional charge of Mizoram and Bihar. He was Adviser to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir during Jagmohan’s tenure. He held several senior positions, including Convener, Internal Security, National Security Council Advisory Board; Special Secretary, Internal Security, Union Ministry of Home Affairs; Director-General, National Security Guard; Commissioner of Police Delhi; Joint Secretary, National Police Commission; First Secretary, High Commission of India, London; and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Calcutta (now Kolkata).

His integrity and no-airs demeanour impressed many. While Commissioner of Police in Delhi, his wife Kamal, a former Miranda House student, who taught at the Polytechnic in South Delhi, would take a DTC bus to reach home. He and his family often had a security cover, but it was discreetly done. In later years, it was withdrawn at his request.

Besides his seminal “India in Turmoil — J&K, Left Extremism and Northeast, and Uncivil Wars —Pathology of Terrorism in India”, Marwah wrote extensively on security issues. He wrote a prescient article in the special series that The Tribune published to mark 55 years of Independence, titled: “Using, misusing police for partisan ends: Law enforcer, yes; law unto itself, no” (March 13, 1998).

He was a well-rounded, grounded individual who will be remembered for his accomplishments during his appointments as well as for his writing and personality. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, Deepali and Shefali, and his son, Amitabh.