He Lives On

 Radhavinod Raju

 (27 July 1949-21 June 2012)

                 Though he was well-known and came with a formidable reputation of solving the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, FORCE first got to know Radhavinod Raju in July 2006. He was then the additional director general of Jammu and Kashmir police. For a mere three year old magazine, getting senior bureaucrats or serving officers to give interviews was not simple.

But Raju was an officer in a different class. Simply based on a few old issues, he agreed to answer FORCE questions over the email. Not having met the journalist sending him the questions, he did not fear

misrepresentation. Later he said that not only was he confident his words could not be twisted, he also felt he could trust the publication.

FORCE sent him a congratulatory email once he became the first director general of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and he promptly replied but declined a meeting explaining that it would not be appropriate. No mail sent to him went unanswered. Perhaps, he believed that saying things upfront worked better than hedging.

FORCE finally met him in March 2011 upon his retirement from NIA. Having settled in Cochin, instead of looking for post-retirement rehabilitation with the government of India, he was in Delhi for a seminar. Within minutes of the meeting he agreed to write for FORCE, though he was not sure he would be able to do so every month. But not only did he write every month, he needed neither an idea for the subject of his article nor reminders of deadlines. When FORCE asked him for a short biographical sketch to go with his debut column, he only mentioned his tenures in JKP, CBI and NIA, leaving out assignments which helped build his reputation.

The news of his death came as a shock. Despite ailing for a while, he neither missed a deadline nor made a mention about his condition. Unfortunately, FORCE did not get the opportunity to interact more closely with him. We only knew him through his thoughts and writings. But here is what two people who have worked with him and known him closely have to say about him.

I first met Radhavinod Raju, exactly a year ago, in Cambridge, Mass, where we were co-participants in a Harvard workshop. I was struck by his warm, simple and straightforward demeanour and we struck a few common chords; he had served many years in J&K, where I grew up, and I lived in Goa, where he started his career in banking. Unassuming to fault, Vinod rarely spoke of his own achievements and it was only when we met again in the Naresh Chandra Task Force that I learned about his outstanding career and formidable reputation as a super cop: in J&K, in Kerala, In the Karthikeyan SIT and as the founder Director General of NIA. A thorough professional and a warm and modest human being; it will be always my  regret that I knew Vinod for just a year.

                                                                                                                   Admiral Arun Prakash (retd)

I had the opportunity of knowing Mr Raju as DIG of South Kashmir when I was posted as a sub divisional police officer in Srinagar. It was rare during those times to find police officers actively involved in anti-militancy operations. Mr Raju’s pleasing personality and boyish looks were always very inspiring during those rather depressing times.

I really got to know him well when he returned after investigating the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Those days I was under  a cloud, which I often am, for my rather outspoken ways. Mr Raju was a great source of strength. He encouraged me not to get demoralised. I do remember once he took me with him to Srinagar on his birthday, cooked dinner for me and sang ‘Saranga Teri Yaad Mein’ during the course of our rather private party.

Mr Raju was an extremely principled man, who would not succumb to any pressure. He became an inspiration to professionals who could understand that sycophancy is not required if you can remain a professional. He was very self-effacing, never took any credit and always deflected attention from himself. That perhaps explains why his death came as a shock; he would never talk of himself.

I never had the opportunity of working under him but remained attached with him for a few months which gave me an  opportunity  of being his sounding board. His attention to detail made him  a very competent investigator. It was this ability that brought financial investigation skills to the Jammu and Kashmir Police. In an important investigation against a prominent personality he brought to the fore tax evasion and bribe money being covered up as business transactions. I observed the investigations and saw how he taught us to trace transactions.

He was a great leader, a good and patient teacher. I and many others should be beholden to him for his personal support in times of crises. He allowed past good records to commensurate for a mistake, a trait that is rare.

                                                            Shiv Murari Sahai, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range
Force Magazine July 2012