HYDERABAD: On a day when the linkages of slain gangster and renegade Naxalite Mohammed Nayeemuddin with a group of senior IPS officers (most of whom have retired now) was being hotly debated within the IPS circles in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states, retired IPS officer Shree Ram Tewari, who once headed the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), around the time when Nayeem was the blue eyed boy of Andhra Pradesh police who even executed killings of some Maoists and leaders of its frontal organisations, reportedly on instructions of police officials, made a startling disclosure that Nayeem was indeed helping the SIB in anti-Naxal operations but it was all ''professional'' like in any other Intelligence operation.
Tewari, a 1982 batch IPS officer, who was also one of the blue eyed boys of the then united and now divided AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, also dismissed speculation that he used Nayeem in some land deals. ''I did meet him a couple of times but it was all for professional work and nothing beyond,'' said Tewari.
This is perhaps the first time that a former SIB chief is going on record with such details as no SIB boss, whether retired or serving ever made such revelations.
In an exclusive interview with Express, Tewari opens up on his association with Nayeem during his tenure as SIB chief of then united AP even as he says that some officials in the police department are out to malign him by circulating lies about him even as corridors of power is abuzz with speculation that a group of officers including Tewari were using him for land grabbing or settling land disputes.
''I personally meet Nayeem a couple of times when I was heading SIB and had long discussions with him about Naxalites. He was also in regular touch with my teams then. But it will not be proper on my part to reveal what exactly Nayeem had shared with SIB and how he helped us as this would be highly unprofessional,'' Tewari, when was then DIG, SIB, said.
Interestingly, Tewari describes Nayeem as an ''emotional type of fellow'' who was determined to ''do something'' in life. ''Some of his family members were eliminated by Naxals earlier. During my interaction with him, I found him to an emotional fellow. Perhaps, this comes from the fact that his family members were targeted,'' he said.
SR Tewari was posted as SIB chief sometime in late 1996 and continued in the post till early 2000 and this was the time, sources say, Nayeem was completely backed and supported by senior police officials, whose prime aim was to eliminate Naxals from the state by hook or crook.
''He was involved in the killing of KS Vyas (founder of anti-naxal force Greyhounds) after which he surrendered. I was not around when he surrendered then. I only came in touch with him when I took over as SIB chief and he helped us in our operations. It was purely professional and nothing beyond it,'' Tewari said adding that some people are spreading false stories about him.
When asked to elaborate on the the kind of help Nayeem provided to SIB, Tewari just chose to say that he shared information about Naxalites. ''I cannot share anything beyond that. Also, the matter is now almost 20 years old and I have even forgotten most part of it.''Â Was Nayeem paid a lot of money ? Tewari says he is not aware of such details though he said that Nayeem was working with his team and they may be paying him, as is done in any such operations. ''Firstly, after Nayeem surrendered, he may have got some benefits from the government as per the surrender policy but as far as money being paid to him, he said he may have been paid by his team but he was unsure about that. ''In SIB, whether it is then or now, everything is need-to-know basis and therefore, I was not inclined to know how much was being paid to him.''
ON LAND DEALS: Tewari says that till 2000 when he was in SIB, he had only professional contacts but thereafter, there was no contact between them. ''I am in no way concerned with any land deal whatsoever. As for Nayeem, there was no contact between him and me after 2000 when I was transferred from SIB,'' he said.
Asked whether SIB had come across any of his links with terror groups based in Kashmir, Tewari replied in the negative. ''Back then, there was no such input about Nayeem having links with terror groups. I do not know what happened later. I also dont know anything about he indulging in settling land disputes though I used to read about it in newspapers.''
To another query on whether Nayeem was in touch with other senior IPS officers, who have also retired now, Tewari said it could be a possibility as Nayeem was also in regular touch with other senior police officials.