CHANDIGARH: Supercop KPS Gill succumbed at a hospital in New Delhi, after a sudden cardiac arrest. Best known for crushing Sikh militancy in the late eighties and early nineties, Kanwar Pal Singh Gill was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi on May 18. Dr DS Rana, Chairman, Department of Nephrology and Board of Management, said, “He had been recovering from Peritonitis, but died of sudden cardiac arrest due to cardiac arrhythmia.”
Gill had served twice as the Director General of Police in Punjab, and is credited with rooting out militancy from the state. A Padma Shri recipient, he had retired from the Indian Police Service in 1995, but was often called to help governments control difficult situations. Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, had appointed him as a security adviser to end the post-Godhra riots in the state and restore confidence in the administration.
He was also consulted by Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh to control the expansion of Maoists in the region. He however, did not stay for long. In 2013, he told the media that Raman Singh wasn't really serious about curbing Maoist violence. Referred to as India's Crisis Manager, he had extensively spoken about dealing with left-wing extremism, on a show earlier this month. “I need three years to end the Chhattisgarh (Maoist) problem,” he confidently said. Ajai Sahni, executive director of security think-tank Institute for Conflict Management, headed by Gill, said, “This is a man who not only defeated the Khalistani movement which none of the other leaders in the country had the courage to confront. He did not just save Punjab from separatism, he ensured no state on this country in a situation of enormous political mismanagement would think of separation and no terrorist movement would really have a real possibility of success.”
Prime Minister Modi, who had worked closely with the cop for over a decade, condoled Gill's death. “KPS Gill will be remembered for his service to our nation in the fields of policing & security. Pained by his demise,” he tweeted.
