Insights into the Baaghee mind: CoNI interview with a policeman who mutinied

Fawaz: Do you believe that police can call for the resignation of Head of State or President?

P: That…if you look at each individual, there is freedom to do so. That person can do it, so can the other.

Fawaz: Even if police?

P: Even if police.

Shafeeu: Actually police shouldn’t be able to. That would be a political activity.

P: For example, then, you take whatever step you have to take against that person.

Shafeeu: In the last 22-23 days, these protests have been against the government, or to achieve some specific results. One demand was that this government remain within constitutional boundaries. That demand and yours are closely linked. If you waited there, you were asking the same thing—you were asking of your most seniors, Chief Commissioner and those under him, don’t issue us any unconstitutional orders. Are these two linked? In any way?

P: There’s no connection there, is there? We were talking about things related to our own work. Really, how this went wrong in the first place is when whoever it was came there and tried to arrest some people.

Shafeeu: You are saying that night when?

P: That night yes.

Shafeeu: While the protest stuff was happening, you would have spent a lot of time in the police. Must have spent most time on duty, rest of the time with family. But, sometimes you must meet some people, some civilians out and about, wouldn’t you? In any of those meetings, has anyone ever said to you: Why don’t you do this on that issue? Has anybody said that?

P: No.

Shafeeu: Has any political leader called you? Has anyone called you, or know of a colleague who received a call, saying You must do this. Because, certainly, it was called for…in the protest it was called for—I certainly heard during the protests…calls to Faseeh, Moosa Jaleel, to Aandhee also once one night, I think, to take charge and bring this under control. Did nobody call you, or say to you when they bumped into you on the street: why don’t you end this quickly? Has nobody said that?

P: No. No. Nobody has said that.

Shafeeu: Not even by mistake?

P: No. Hasn’t said.

Shafeeu: Or, you don’t want to tell us, isn’t that it?

P: Oh no, no. There’s no problem in that. Someone telling me something is their problem, not mine, yes?

Shafeeu: What if it was said? What will you do then? If somebody said such a thing, would you report it to your seniors?

P: Oh no. It’s to me a very simple thing. A free person can talk to me about this and that, no action can be taken against that. Which means, reporting it is perhaps not even a possibility. In such an instance, all I have to do is be answerable to it.

Shafeeu: Were you happy when President Nasheed resigned?

P: No. I wasn’t particularly happy.

Shafeeu: Were you sad?

P: I wasn’t sad either.

Shafeeu: You must have felt something. It is not possible for you to feel nothing. Aren’t you human?