Whistleblower or rogue cop: Has 26/11 hero Jillu Yadav let praise 'go to his head'?

Nearly seven years since the city was under siege for nearly 60 hours, petty politics have consumed the narrative of the 26 November attacks. At the centre of this latest controversy is Assistant Sub-Inspector (Railway Protection Force) Jillu Yadav. It may be recalled that Yadav took on the subsequently apprehended and hanged 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, complaints against Yadav have been piling up to the point where he was removed from patrol duties at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus — the very site of his valour. In fact, he is alleged to have been disrespectful to his seniors, and even slapped an officer while on duty. A senior RPF official told Mumbai Mirror that “(a)fter that incident, he was removed from field duty”. Serious as the charge is, there were more. Yadav is also accused of ‘falsely accusing’ RPF of personnel of demanding bribes from passengers, and extorting money from hawkers — failing which, he is accused to assaulting them and driving them out of the railway terminus. [caption id=“attachment_2432654” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Jillu Yadav. Courtesy Facebook[/caption] The report goes on to quote the senior RPF officer as saying, “Praises of his bravery have gone to his head. He does not respect the seniors nor does he listen to anyone”. This is a far cry from the eulogies sung about him in the aftermath of 26/11. In an article on the court deposition of Yadav in June 2009, The Hindu had reported that after realising that his rifle was ‘locked’, the “defenceless (but) undeterred Yadav made another attempt to take on the terrorists, picking up a plastic chair lying nearby and hurling it at them”. Since then, Yadav had rued in 2010 that he had not finished off Kasab when he had the chance, telling PTI that he by doing so, he could have potentially saved the lives of numerous people including the late Mumbai Police Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare. In 2012, following the hanging of Kasab, the outspoken Yadav expressed his satisfaction and told The Hindu that while “(our) loss will never be redeemed,…  we hope that Pakistan will take a serious note of this and find the masterminds”. In response to the latest allegations, Yadav has unsurprisingly not shied away, rejecting all allegations and telling Mumbai Mirror that he is a ‘whistleblower’ and his refusal to allow illegal activities is what has led to ‘them’ trying to shut him up. This development comes in a rough fortnight for the Mumbai police which has already seen upheaval following the less-than-straightforward exit of the fourth commissioner of police since 26/11.