Hindustan Times
Governor Nikhil Kumar
It was really heartening to know that Nikhil Kumar has been made the Governor of Nagaland. Every one who has covered the crime beat in the capital as well as everyone who has covered politics knows him. Nikhil Kumar is one of the rare individuals on our national scene who has been the Police Chief, Internal Security Specialist, Head of NSG and a Parliamentarian and is now set to have another successful tenure as the Governor of strife ridden Nagaland. His elevation to the constitutional office means that he will effectively also replace K.Padmanabiah, former Union Home Secretary who was the centre’s interlocutor in the talks with NSCN and other rebel groups for the last 11 years. Nikhil Kumar has the ability and the knowledge to carry out these talks exceedingly well and is likely to also achieve a breakthrough.
I have known Nikhil Kumar for nearly three decades since he was an officer with the Delhi Police. He was elected in 2004 to Parliament from Aurangabad, a seat represented by his late father Satyendra Narayan Sinha for I think 10 times. He would have made a god minister for home or internal security had the Congress chosen to utilize his services but politics has its own logic and illogic as my friend, legal eagle and veteran politician late Devendra Dwivedi, used to say.
Nikhil did not win this year’s poll and was working to get his seat back the next time when the Congress president Sonia Gandhi hand picked him for the Nagaland Governor’s job.
It now appears that he will be succeeded by his wife Shyama Sinha to represent the Aurangabad seat the next time. Before Nikhil got into active politics, Shyama had been elected from Aurangabad in 1999.
Nikhil has many sides to his personality. He is a great hindi film music buff and I do not think there are too many people in the city who are as conversant with Hindi film music as he is. I have always wondered how he remembers the songs and the film situations so well.
Whenever I get into any doubt while writing on Hindi film music I always get back to him for accurate information. Another police chief who is very well acquainted with Hindi film music is Dr K.K.Paul, now a member of the UPSC.
Nikhil is also the second Delhi Police chief to be made Governor. The first of course was Ved Marwah whose second book has hit the stands recently. There have been several other police officers who have held gubernatorial assignments. The list includes T.Rajeshwar, Shymal Dutta, Gurbachan Jagat, ESL Narsimhan, Julio Rebeiro and B.L.Joshi. I am sure several others may be in the line.
For me and many of our friends, Nikhil is affectionately called Inspector Matadin, an imaginary character about whom the new Nagaland Governor used to talk about in the early eighties. The story about Inspector Matadin was narrated to him by another police officer Markandey Singh’s (a former Delhi Lt.Governor) son and was replayed to us while we were covering the Crime Beat. Since then we have always referred to him as “Inspector Matadin.”
I and my friends learnt many things about the police functioning from Nikhil who had this uncanny ability of narrating educative examples from his life in the police. If one got down to recounting these narratives, the whole blog could run into many pages. At this stage I can only say Good luck to my friend and hope that he will return to Delhi with his head held high. We are all proud of you Sir. Best of luck.
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted by Pankaj Vohra on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Filed under New Delhi · Tagged Governor Nikhil Kumar, Governor of Nagaland, Nagaland, Nikhil Kumar, Police Chief
Well qualified to play a crucial role in bringing peace to Nagaland. Three cheers to a fine choice!
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Nikhil Kumar has been among the best top cops our country has produced;a man with excellent track record and immense experience.He’s an inspiration for many budding officers.He’ll surely be able to perform his job as the Governor with grand success.All the best sir!
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In a general statement I would like to say that I am totally against the appointments of beaurocrats as governors. The trend of appointing them post retirement is all the more dangerous. This is one of the major cause for the corruption in services, civil or otherwise. It’s sort of more loyal than the dog act. Judging by the way these appointments are made the whole system stinks. Surendra Nath an IPS and Romesh Bhandari an IFS are two examples that come to mind. I have all the respect for Nikhil Kumar who comes from an illustrious political family from Bihar. His father S N Sinha was Chief Minister, and grand father A N Sinha was deputy chief minister of Bihar. Very few people know that he dropped Sinha surname to make an identity for himself sans Sinha tag.
The larger perpespective of Governors post should be considered.
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Anil Reply:
October 15th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
In Bihar Kumar is the popular surname everyoen drops surname these days.. even I have dropped my surname Chuadhary.. For general rank and file it this lack fo surname saves from being singled out by casteist minded people..
So three cheers for this tradition of casteless Kumars..
I am totally against party symathisers getting governor’s position more despicable is the collective removal of governor’s when governmet in delhi changes..
needless to say Congress is biggest culrpit in these matters..Take for example case of P C alexander Vajpayee government knew he was congress veteran yet they continued with him. you will never find even a single case where congress tolerated people with non congress backgrouond as governor when they came to power..
Then in all this nonsense of governor politics we have example of Narendra bhai modi and Pandit Naval kishore sharma ( a blue blooded congressman) . You could never find another example where a governor and Cm had such a cordial relationship.
When Panditjee retired Narendra Modi in felictataion ceremony claimed Panditjee was like father to me always guiding me. It’s nto that they didn;t have their difference but the way ti was handled is really praise worthy. These examples of magnanimites tell me what stuff Narendra Modi is made of actually, media vilification aside.
Anyway here is wishing political consideratio sans tenure for the Governor from my home state Bihar.
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Anil Reply:
October 15th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
BTW here is the video of Pandit Jee’s felicitaion by Narendra Modi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkv4ZyiRph4
You won;t see this kind of farewell for a governor and CM belonging to two different parties..I knwo Governor is supposed to be free from party affiliation but we all knwo how games get played through office of governor..
ON one end we have Panditjee and on another characters like Syed Rizvi both from congress. I guess one’s personal character also plays a role irrespective of party affiliation
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Pankaj Vohra Reply:
October 16th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Anil, Nawal Kishore Sharma was a ery experienced politician and therefore could keep Modi on his side. So far as examples of BJP appointed Governors continuing during Congress time are concerned one does not have to go very far back in time. Madan Lal Khurana was Rajasthan Governor and was not removed but quit on his own to pursue his political career. Gen.Sinha similarly continued in Jammu and Kashmir. THere are some other examples too. S.S.Barnala in Tamil Nadu and so on. I agree that bureaucrats should normally nt be made Governors but if there are some outstanding bureaucrats like PC Alexander, what is the harm. So far as Nikhil Kumar is concerned, he is policeofficer, internal security specialist, parliamentarian and now a governor all rolled into one. Best regards.
I would like to differ with some of the learned writers here;as far as the gubernatorial appointment is considered competence and experience has to be the essential criteria.Infact the troubled NE states require someone with both political and administrative qualities.Mr Nikhil Kumar is a blend of both administrative experience and political acumen.he has had an illustrious public career spanning over four decades and has been known as an upright officer.talking of his political roots;he is from our state Bihar;where his grandfather Late “Bihar Vibhuti” Dr Anugrah Narain Sinha(the first Deputy Chief Minister) assisted Mahatama Gandhi along with his close collegue Rajendra Prasad in the historic satyagraha of 1917 & is regarded as among the architects of independent Bihar.Kumar’s father the late CM S N Sinha was known as a gentleman among politicians.There’s no doubt that Kumar has a sense of dealing with democratic institutions.He is an politician who is an expert of internal security.The decades old struggle is at the threshold and the Centre has chosen the right man for the Job.All the best to him
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It was really heartening to know that Nikhil Kumar has been made the Governor of Nagaland. Every one who has covered the crime beat in the capital as well as everyone who has covered politics knows him. There’s no doubt that Kumar has a sense of dealing with democratic institutions.He is an politician who is an expert of internal security.The Centre has chosen the right man for the Job. I wish all the best to him
Regards,
S K Singh
Pogar, Rafiganj
Auragabad (Bihar)
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