"They made the biggest blunder by shifting Sharma. He was straightforward, professional and a gentleman. Gill had his own ways, all right for war, but in peace time they could cause a heavy backlash. It shouldn't be a situation where police terror is so bad that people want terrorists back,"says Ribeiro. Sharma, he claims, had done a lot to change the image of policemen who ran amuck during Gill's tenure. Criticising political interference—something that could set back the clock in Punjab—Ribeiro says: "Unfortunately there was a lot of pressure on Sharma to transfer those policemen back. And now they have replaced him, choosing caste as a consideration for his successor."