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Chandigarh, September 11: Who are police cats?
Cats are persons who are used for pseudo-terrorist techniques to infiltrate terrorist groups. In Punjab, they were specially recruited and helped the police to track down listed terrorists. These cats, on making contact with the terrorists, provided actionable intelligence or clues that helped the police to hunt for the militants. This term was drawn from the analogy of using a cat to seek out mice, with counter-terrorism being viewed as a cat and mouse game
When did this CAT system start in Punjab and under whose regime?
In 1986, the term cat first made its appearance in reference to police undercover operations intended to identify and neutralise hardcore terrorists. A senior police officer in Amritsar developed a plan to beat the free run of terrorists and started this system. At that time, the state was under President's rule.
What was the operational role of these cats?
When a cat identified a person who was a most wanted terrorist, the police personnel moved in to make the arrest. In many cases, these cats were told to sit in a vehicle with black window panes and identify the person. They were basically spotters. Earlier, the police has their own men as spotters in plain clothes who were residents of the areas where the police conducted operations.
What did the cats get in return?
Cats were paid according to a two-scale model of their results. In addition to receiving payments for general information picked up during their tracking efforts, they shared with their handlers the rewards on top terrorists if they helped locate them. Subject to their utility and depending upon the attitude of their handlers, cats were also absorbed into the police or quietly paid off and rehabilitated to lead anonymous lives. In some instances, if any case was registered against a cat, it was withdrawn as an incentive for the man's work for the police.
What happened to cats after 1993?
After terrorism ended in Punjab, cats were rehabilitated by the police. They were either given new identities to settle down in the country or sent abroad. They were also paid handsomely to start a new life. |