Mangaluru : People of the region, who are well read, should seriously think of and have a deeper discussion on why this region is communally sensitive, said Mangaluru Police Commissioner S. Murugan here on Thursday.

Talking to reporters after taking charge, Mr. Murugan said it is not the police who have made this region communally sensitive. In an issue that turns into a communal dispute, the police handle the last part when the issue has reached a flashpoint. The role of the police is very limited in handling such issues and bringing peace, which, at times, is criticised as police excesses or intelligence failure.

Mr. Murugan said that it was for the people to handle these issues. “It is actually your (society’s) problem that we are handling. Mangalureans should give a serious thought to it,” he said.

Mr. Murugan said that his journey since his time as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Puttur in 2001 has been a good one. “It is in this profession that you work hard, struggle and get work satisfaction,” he added.

Asked on the encounter with suspected Maoists in Eedu in Udupi in November 2003 in which he was involved, Mr. Murugan said, “In hindsight, after 11 long years, I think I could have handled the situation in a better way. I do not think I did anything wrong then.” Mr. Murugan said that he had carried out during his tenure many works, including raising the Karnataka Industrial Security Force from scratch, which he was proud of.

Mr. Murugan, who was earlier Deputy Inspector-General of Karnataka Industrial Security Force), said that a proposal was pending before the State government for deploying KISF at Infosys units in Mangaluru. The State government was thinking of deploying KISF personnel at the New Mangalore Port Trust and the Mangalore International Airport too.