AnantS
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KPS Gill Passed away yesterday. A supercop who finally buried the Khalistanis for good in Punjab. He spoke to terrorists in the language they understood.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/super-and-controversial-top-cop/413350.html
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/pu...r-means-but-still-deserves-credit/413498.html
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/super-and-controversial-top-cop/413350.html
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 26
Former Punjab DGP KPS Gill earned the title of a supercop by taking the terrorists head-on. At the same time, he remained in the eye of a storm over alleged police highhandedness, human rights violations and starting of a ‘police raj’ in Punjab.
Born at Gill village in Ludhiana district, he was originally an Assam-Meghalaya- cadre IPS officer who was picked for dealing with militancy after Operation Bluestar in 1984.
In 1988, he was the DGP when terrorists had again fortified the Golden Temple. Gill, who was not in favour of an armed attack on the holiest Sikh shrine, succesfully led Operation Black Thunder. Gill preferred cutting electricity and water supply to the premises to win the battle. He allowed media minute-by-minute coverage of the operation and pictures of militants coming out surrendering with arms above the heads were flashed across the world. He got the Padma Shri for his accomplishments.
In Gill’s second term from 1991, Chief Minister Beant Singh gave him a free hand for a full assault against terrorists. Journalists quoted him as saying that he believed in proactive counter-terrorism where the “battle is to be taken to the terrorist camps rather than to wait for them to come out and strike.”
Obituaries:
His piercing eyes and twirled moustache gave him the look of a hard-boiled police officer, but Gill was also known for his humour. Journalists recall him as an expert in Urdu and English poetry who cracked jokes and even laughed at jokes targeting the cops.
- He stood by his men, say former colleagues
- Modi recalls Gill’s service to nation
- An exceptional leader
- He cared little for means, but still deserves credit
It was during his second term and later that he remained embroiled in controversies. From tiffs with his predecessors on police tactics to earning the wrath of human rights activists, Gill was accused of not reining in the officers who indulged in the killing of innocents for promotions.
The whereabouts of thousands of youths who had gone missing during his tenure are not known. Human rights activists, including Jaswant Singh Khalra, who took up their cases, went missing. Even an Akal Takht Jathedar, Gurdev Singh Kaonke, disappeared after being taken away by the police.
He was accused of molesting a woman IAS officer. He blamed his detractors for the controversies, but could not escape conviction by the Supreme Court. Still, Gill’s admirers grew.
Not meeting with success against terrorists always, Gill was accused by his seniors of incompetence leading to the killings of moderate Akali leader Sant Harchand Singh Longowal. Then, just before his retirement, Punjab Chief Minister Beant was killed in a bomb explosion.
After his retirement in 1995, Gill remained much in demand He was appointed security adviser in the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat Government in the wake of the 2002 riots. In 2008, he was hired for help against Maoists in Chhattisgarh.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/pu...r-means-but-still-deserves-credit/413498.html
Chaman Lal
When KPS Gill was DGP in Punjab and terrorism was at its peak, I worked under him as Inspector General (Border), Amritsar. But I differed with him on the way the police was functioning under him and thus became a known critic of Punjab Police of that time.
However, I must confess and give credit to him. Mr Gill was an outstanding police officer and leader who embodied great secular and nationalist credentials and there was nothing petty that could be attributed to him.
With his demise, the police force in India has lost a great leader who always backed his men irrespective of situations and circumstances, provided the assigned task was accomplished. This very approach in dealing with his team members had greatly enhanced the capacity of Punjab Police to confront and win over terrorism.
Obituaries:
However, the contribution made by Mr Gill’s predecessor at the time of Operation Bluestar, Julio Ribeiro, cannot be ignored, as his efforts to energise Punjab Police came to his advantage.
- Super, and controversial, top cop
- He stood by his men, say former colleagues
- Modi recalls Gill’s service to nation
- An exceptional leader
- He cared little for means, but still deserves credit
Mr Gill then proved the point that if the force is commanded well, it can be dependable and play the primary role in society. As a police officer, it feels heartening to see Andhra Pradesh police adopting the Gill doctrine in their efforts to deal with Left Wing extremists.
The precision in Mr Gill’s approach made him a successful leader, as he exposed the criminal character of the pro-Khalistan leadership to deny them the local support, which they were getting. The Sikhs thought that they were not fighting for their cause. It was only Mr Gill who proved a point that terrorism is not an ideology; rather, it is a tactic to defeat the state.
His unique methods made Mr Gill a great police officer, as he was selfless and always believed in the noble cause to do good to society. But he often transgressed from the rule of law and Constitution. Here I had great differences.
I believed we should fight any kind of menace without compromising on human rights and corruption. But he believed in getting results without caring for the means.
However, Mr Gill will always be remembered for bringing normalcy back in Punjab — though with harsh and ruthless policing without caring much for human rights and corrupt practices adopted by personnel.
Still, I will say, Mr Gill not only embodied, but imparted, courage, professionalism, honesty and service, for which he will be remembered forever. — The writer served as IGP, Punjab & DGP, Nagaland