C Mohanan speaks too rapidly for anyone to understand his words for the first few minutes. His hurry in speaking has perhaps something to do with the fact that it is his last day at his job and this 56-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram wants to make the most of the day.
Because after this day he won’t be required to be up at day break, put on his crisp khaki uniform and proceed to the District Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram where he has been working as a policeman for 36 years, the only job he has ever known.
As he is set to bid adieu to more than three decades of service, sub-inspector Mohanan wants to ensure that he leaves a mark behind.
Mohanan’s book ‘Kannadi’ (Mirror), written during his tenure as a policeman, will be released on July 1 by the Deputy Speaker of the assembly.
The book will be presented to the Former Kerala DGP TP Senkumar by the deputy speaker at an event held at Thiruvananthapuram Press Club on Saturday.
Speaking to TNM, Mohanan says that his book is not a critique of the police force in the state nor an autobiography.
"It is a police guide that I want to leave behind for the younger generation of policemen in the department. So that they do not repeat the mistakes we made. So that they know how they should proceed at a scene of crime. What works and what doesn’t. How to make sure the culprits are booked. It is not only our responsibility to investigate and file the chargesheet on time, but also to make sure we are present when the case comes up in court," Mohanan says.
Starting 1996, Mohanan has received many laurels over the years, including medals from Chief Ministers of the state twice for his performance. In 2008, he received a medal from the President of India for excellence.
The book is divided into 18 chapters, that mainly talks about how a policeman should go about investigating a crime, interspersed with his own personal experiences of being part of teams that investigated many crimes.
Narrating how a thoughtless act by the team had earned criticism when the case came up in court, SI Mohanan writes, "This was the case of the murder of Harihara Varma in 2011. His body was found on December 24. The next day being a public holiday, we registered the FIR a day later. Even though the court did not hold it against the investigating team, the prosecution lawyer criticised us over it. A court is where the judge is. We should have gone to the magistrate's residence and registered the FIR. In the course of investigations, we learn many things and I wish to caution the younger officers against committing the same mistakes."
Was he always inclined to write? Not really, the policeman admits.
"I have written many cases over the years," he laughs, "but this is the first time I am writing a book."