NEW DELHI, Feb 18: RK Gaur, who was the backbone of the Central Bureau of Investigation’s information wing, has hung his boots after 26 years of service at the agency, officials said.
Fondly called Gaur ‘Saab’, he was the face of the CBI in a number of media briefings, and handled many tricky situations during his service at the agency, which he had joined as an inspector on deputation from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 1997.
He had retired in 2020 as a deputy superintendent of police and press information officer, but the then CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla, who knew about Gaur’s knowledge on the functioning of the central probe agency, asked him to stay and engaged him as a consultant on contract in its media section.
Shukla’s successor, Subodh Jaiswal, also asked him to stay till his tenure. Gaur’s contract ended this January.
“I always felt that he was well connected, had great dialogues with mediapersons and also had credibility. Also, his in-depth knowledge of the CBI’s functioning over a period of time made him even more effective and efficient. In my opinion he did a great job,” Shukla said.
When the government had faced criticism in the New York Times’ opinion pages on the CBI’s action against NDTV’s former promoters in an alleged tax evasion matter and taking its Hindi channel off air after its reportage on the Pathankot terror attack, it was a first-of-a-kind counter from Gaur that got published in the US-based newspaper wherein he put forth facts, and the government’s justification to take the channel off air and agency’s action against it.
“No democracy can allow the country’s security and public safety to be compromised by irresponsible reporting of terrorist incident,” he had written.
It was the first such instance when an Indian probe agency had successfully clarified its position through a detailed signed write-up in a reputed international publication countering an “opinion piece”.
Fiercely loyal to the interests of the CBI, Gaur maintained a delicate balance to ensure that queries of journalists were answered honestly, and at the same time, the agency’s version also reached the public accurately.
“His pleasing disposition, courteous behaviour and excellent communication skills helped the CBI share information with the media in a most appropriate and timely manner. His penchant for balancing needs of the media while taking care of sensitivities of the organisation were noted with utmost satisfaction during my tenure,” former director Anil Sinha said.
“He never spoke a word out of place, was completely trustworthy and he proved himself to be a valuable asset while assisting me in the CBI,” he said.
Gaur had mastered the art of wading through rough waters and keeping the agency’s flag flying high, even during investigation of complex matters such as those related to Vijay Mallya, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s former principal secretary and the Aarushi murder case.
He was also perhaps the only officer who was involved in the media management for two Interpol General Assemblies. These were hosted in India in 1997 and 2022.
The general assemblies are held on a rotation basis and rarely does a country get a second chance to host the global conclave in such a short span of time. On the request of India, the general assembly in 2022 was held out of turn in the country to mark its 75th anniversary year of independence. (PTI)
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