The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ‘Hemant Karkare wanted to serve the country’

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Friday, Jan 09, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

‘Hemant Karkare wanted to serve the country’

Special Correspondent

Kavita Karkare narrates devotion of spouse

Communalism biggest threat to country: Nayyar
’Never compromised with anti-social elements’

— PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

In obeisance: Kavita Karkare pays tribute to her husband at a meeting of ‘Hindustan Hamara’. Also seen is columnist Kuldip Nayyar.

HYDERABAD: Forty three days after the gunning down of her husband in terrorist strikes that hit Mumbai, Kavita Karkare was composed as she narrated here the devotion of spouse and Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare to the service of the nation.

She said Hemant could have easily opted for a lucrative career in private sector as he had an excellent academic record. But, he chose to take up a government job because he wanted to serve the country which gave him so much. As a nationalist, he decided to pay back to the country.

Ms. Kavita was addressing a meeting under the banner ‘Hindustan Hamara’ which was sponsored by various individuals, including editors of newspapers. She maintained that Hemant never compromised with anti-social elements he considered his enemies number one. Brave at heart, he wanted to set an example to the police force by leading it from front. He did the same as Superintendent of Police of Chandrapur. He was also so duty conscious that he was never found wanting in responding to the call of duty. With a father who valued secularism and mother being traditional, Hemant got the best of both worlds. His approach was straight forward and upright, she said.

Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayyar said communalism was the biggest threat to the country. The Mumbai attacks were aimed to create a wedge between Hindus and Muslims but it did not happen.

As High Commissioner to UK, Mr. Nayyar recalled, he had a conversation with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher when the latter praised India’s pluralistic character. She said she had asked Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev to study the Indian model when he informed her that his country was falling apart due to internal contradictions.

National Industrial Security Academy Director and batch mate of Hemant in IPS Anurag Sharma said the government tackled the challenge of subversive forces only after police officers sacrificed their lives. The same was likely in the aftermath of Mumbai incidents. Siasat Daily editor Zahed Ali Khan also spoke.

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