Vappala Balachandran

Vappala Balachandran
National security and intelligence specialist, former police officer
In office
1976 – 1995 as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India
Personal details
Born (1937-06-15)15 June 1937
Yangon, Myanmar
Nationality Indian
Relations V.P. Menon
Religion Hindu

Vappala Balachandran is an Indian national security intelligence specialist and a former Indian police officer[1] who served 17 years in the state of Maharashtra, India and 19 years in foreign intelligence service.[2] He retired as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India in 1995 and is based in Mumbai.[3][4]

Early life

Balachandran originally hails from the state of Kerala, Southern India. His father, K.P. Kutti Krishna Menon, was an officer in the Myanmar government and he lived in Yangon till 1940. During the War, his father stayed back in Myanmar to serve the government.[5]

Balachandran is the grand nephew of the late V.P. Menon of "Vappala" Theravad, Ottapalam, Kerala.

Achievements

In 1993 and 1994,Vappala Balachandran led the Indian interagency groups for annual dialogue with U.S agencies on terrorism.[6][7][8]

Between 2007 and 2009 he wrote several papers for the Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington, D.C. for their "Regional Voices" project. His paper "Insurgency, terrorism, and transnational trends" was included as Chapter 6 in their publication Transnational Trends.[9] Balachandran was a member of the two-man "High Level Committee" appointed by the Government of Maharashtra to inquire into the police response during the Mumbai November 26, 2008 terror attacks.[10][11]

In November 2009 he was invited by the Governor of Hawaii to be the key note speaker at the 2009 Asia Pacific Homeland Security Summit at Honolulu and address senior police officials in Singapore on urban security and terrorism.[12][13] Balachandran spoke at the Pluscarden Programme conference on "The Future of International Cooperation in Countering Violent Extremism" at St Antony's College, Oxford University in October 2010 and in 2013 on "India’s Politics of Free Expression-A Law & Order perspective" under the "Marchioness of Winchester Lectures 2013".[14] The interview was aired by the BBC radio along with three other participants.[15]

Vappala Balachandran is also an active columnist who writes for The Sunday Guardian and The Asian Age newspapers.[16][17]

Awards


In 1975, Balachandran was awarded the Indian Police Medal for meritorious service and in 1986, The President's Police medal for meritorious service.

Career

1961-1965: Assistant Superintendent of Police, Nashik

1965-1969: Superintendent of Police, Sangli district

1969-1972: Superintendent of Police, Yeotmal district

1972-1973: Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zones-Law & order), Bombay city

1973-1976: Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Branch, C.I.D), Bombay city

1976: Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India[18][19]

June 1995: Retired as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India[20]

Book

His book National Security and Intelligence Management-A New Paradigm was released in March 2014.[21] [22][23]

References

  1. Despatch & Courier, Afternoon. "Vajpayee in Paris". Afternoon. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  2. Age, Asian. "Spies, lies and old files". The Asian Age. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  3. Age, Asian. "Six years after 26/11". Asianage.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  4. Guardian, The Sunday. "Police need to adopt scientific probe methods". Sunday-Guardian.com. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  5. British, Broadcasting Corporation (17 February 2011). "The Burma Campaign". B.B.C. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  6. Balachandran, V. (18 November 2014). "Who caused fall of Wall?". The Asian Age. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  7. Age, Asian. "Spies, lies and old files". The Asian Age. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  8. Times, News Network (13 March 2014). "Charting 3 decades of terror intelligence coordination failure". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  9. "Security Threats & Instability". The Stimson Center. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  10. "Lessons from Mumbai?". The Hindu. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  11. Mirror, Pune. "Cops to get major weapon upgrade". Pune Mirror. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  12. "7th Annual Asia-Pacific Homeland Security Summit Begins". The Hawaii Reporter.
  13. Mirror, Pune. "Cops to get major weapon upgrade". Pune Mirror. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  14. Balachandran, Vappala (11 October 2010). "Dealing with the aftermath of attacks" (PDF). St Antony's College, Oxford. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  15. "China Growth, Free Speech in India, Disability and the Arts". BBC. 22 June 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  16. Guardian, The Sunday. "Police & State". The Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  17. Age, The Asian. "Columnists". The Asian Age. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  18. Age, Asian. "Six years after 26/11". Asianage.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  19. First, Freedom. "Mrinal Gore R.I.P". Freedom First. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  20. Age, Asian. "Six years after 26/11". Asianage.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  21. Raghavan, V.R. "Intelligence: more failures than successes". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  22. Guardian, The Sunday. "Police need to adopt scientific probe methods". Sunday-Guardian.com. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  23. TImes, News Network (13 March 2014). "Charting 3 decades of terror intelligence coordination failure". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 November 2014.

Further reading



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