We broke into an urban network of Maoists. When we raided the house of the man who was heading the urban network a letter from Ajay TG came. In that letter, he was asking them to return his camera, which he had given them for a particular purpose. The letter was undated and it was signed. When we showed the letter to Ajay TG he denied having any memory of the letter. His lawyer had said he had not written or sent any such letter. But handwriting experts said he did. So there was a major problem. So either he really didn't remember or he was lying. Subsequently the district police decided to arrest him as a part of the urban network.

People kept agitating. His wife came and met me and gave us an application stating he was wrongly implicated under a technical mistake. She said my husband had gone to take photographs and Maoists had taken his camera. She said a Maoist had told him that you write to such and such person, and you might get back your camera.

She said my husband is not a Maoist. She said Professor Jonathan Perry from London School of Economics knows him, and some Murli from America knew him.

She gave me all his CDs films to go through. After some time I realised that it is possible that he might have not been a Naxalite. There could be some kind of technical mistake he committed. I said I had a doubt.

So then I told the officers, I will review Ajay TG's case. Not to file a chargesheet till we take a statement from all the people referred to by his wife. We didn't produce the chargesheet. And I will not allow the prosecution, even though that meant he would have got bail.

We have got two e-mail messages from Dr Jonathan Perry and Murli from America and after that we are looking into it.

And if in case he was wrongly picked up, then we will take action. There are procedures of departmental action.

There have been a lot of allegations by reporters, activists and human rights groups against the security forces and Salwa Judum. According to the report by Human Rights Watch, and I quote, 'Since 2005, security forces and members of Salwa Judum militia group have killed and raped villagers'. What is the truth?

I know about the allegations. But I do not know of such cases. They have to register a complaint in the police station or come to me. But they are complaining here and there instead.

I have been to Bastar, and a tribal in Bastar does not normally believe in rape. I have seen this in my time, unless Bastar has changed a lot.

For a tribal, sex was not something to punish a person. Salwa Judum people are tribals. So allegations of rape are difficult to believe. But even then, they can come and complain.

With so much violence many people are fleeing from the area. Is this because they are afraid to come to the police?

They can come and complain to me, if they are so afraid to go to a police station, then we will look into it and inquire.

Image: Bodies of police officers killed by Maoist rebels in Ranibodli village in Chhattisgarh in March 2007. Maoist rebels killed 53 policemen in one of the worst ever attacks.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Also read: Primer: Who are the Naxalites?

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