Kanwar Pal Singh Gill

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Kanwar Pal Singh Gill
Occupation	Former Director General of Punjab Police Former President of the Indian Hockey Federation
Religious beliefs	Sikhism

Kanwar Pal Singh Gill is retired Indian police officer, author, and sports administrator. Under his lead, the Punjab police successfully brought the militancy in Punjab under control in the 1990s. Gill got involved in sports administration after retirement from police and was the President of the Indian Hockey Federation, but a corruption episode in 2008 resulted in his unceremonial sacking and dissolution of IHF^[1][2][3]. Gill is a controversial figure; he was convicted in a sexual crime^[4][5][6], he is often blamed for the downfall of Indian hockey, and his police forces have been accused of adopting excessive measures during the Punjab insurgency.

Contents 1 Police career 2 Criticism 2.1 Punjab insurgency 2.2 Sexual harassment case 2.3 Indian Hockey Federation 3 External links 4 References

[edit] Police career

KPS Gill began his career as a police officer in the north-eastern state of Assam, quickly earning a reputation as a tough officer. He became a household name across the country as Punjab police chief in the early 1990s, when he was credited with crushing a separatist revolt and addressing terrorism in the Sikh-majority state, for doing so, he earned the sobriquet of a "supercop".^[7]

Gill publishes a journal Faultlines: Writings on Conflict and Resolution and runs the Institute for Conflict Management, as well as advising governments and institutions on security related issues. ^[8] He was asked by the government of Sri Lanka last year for similar advice. Mr Gill has also written a book, "The Knights of Falsehood", which explores the abuse of religious institutions by the politics of freedom struggle in Punjab.

He has also been appointed as a consultant by the Chattisgarh government to help tackle the Naxalite movement in the state.

[edit] Criticism

[edit] Punjab insurgency

Some human rights activists have alleged that under KPS Gill, the Punjab Police killed thousands of suspects in staged shootouts, and cremated or disposed thousands of bodies without proper identification or post-mortem.^{[9][10][11][12]}

A section of the Sikh community condemned Gill as a wanton killer. Others, such as the Sikh author Khushwant Singh believe that Gill saved Sikhs and Punjab for India^{[citation needed]}. He came out as a hero for India in Khalistan episode.

In his book, Punjab: The Knights of Falsehood, Gill states: "Democracy and liberalism are not a sufficient defence and this is a fact that the ideologues of ‘freedom’ need, equally, to comprehend. There is a fatal flaw in the liberal mind. Having established, in structure and form [though seldom in substance], a system of governance that corresponds to its conception of democracy, it feels that nothing more needs to be done. The ‘Truths’ of the liberal ideology are, as the American Declaration on the Rights of Man expresses it, ‘Self Evident’. They require no proof, no reiteration, and no defence - certainly no defence by force of arms. Once democracy [or even the ritual of quinquinneal elections] is established, according to liberal mythology, the mystical ‘invisible hand’ keeps everything in place; the ‘superior wisdom of the masses’ ensures order and justice... This is just so much rubbish. As we should know after living with falsehoods for fifty years now. Truth does not triumph; unless it has champions to propound it, unless it has armies to defend it."

[edit] Sexual harassment case

In August 1996 Gill was convicted of sexually harassing a senior Punjabi female civil servant, Rupan Deol Bajaj, for pinching/ slapping her bottom while inebriated at a party ^[13][14][15]. Mr Gill had to pay a hefty fine and was sentenced to three years in prison which was later reduced to probation.

[edit] Indian Hockey Federation

KPS Gill was the head of the Indian Hockey Federation until sacked on April 28, 2008. During his tenure, India failed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time since 1928. Many of his critics demanded his resignation, but he refused to do so. In an interview with NDTV, which exposed the shallow and momentary love for Indian hockey in the Indian media, and left the media people fumbling for words, he said that he would not resign because he believed that that was the easy way out.^[16] He had been at the top spot since around 15 years.^[17][18].

In April 2008, Kandaswamy Jyothikumaran, the secretary of IHF was caught in a sting camera operation by Aaj Tak Television, which gave money for selecting a player. As a result, IHF was dissolved for an indefinite period on charges of corruption, and its officers, including Gill, were sacked.^[19][20][21]

[edit] External links

• BBC News Profile: KPS Gill

[edit] References