E-Paper
Rtd TN IPS officer Vijay Kumar who brought down Veerappan gets Padma Shri
Retired IPS officer K Vijay Kumar, known as "Super Cop," received the Padma Shri award for his role in ending Veerappan's reign in 2004.
Retired IPS officer K Vijay Kumar from Tamil Nadu who led the force to end the story of forest brigand Veerapan was on Sunday conferred with Padma Shri award in the civil service category.
The 73-year-old decorated IPS officer, known popularly as “Super Cop” is most known for leading Operation Cocoon in 2004 that resulted in the death of Veerappan the same year.
He held several top positions including that of director-general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for two years from 2010. He also served as a Senior Security Advisor to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs specifically on countering Left-wing extremism areas from which he stepped down in 2022. He was Inspector General of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Kashmir. He was also appointed as Advisor to the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 2018.
He served in the Special Protection Group (SPG), providing security to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Following that he also formed and led the Special Security Group (SSG) for J Jayalalithaa, late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The 1975 batch officer belonging to the Tamil Nadu cadre retired in 2012.
In a post titled “The “Super Cop” Honoured” on X, the CRPF said, “A legendary salute to a living icon…DG CRPF.. G P Singh and all ranks extend their warmest congratulations to the visionary who redefined India’s internal security.” From his position as Chennai police commissioner to director Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, his career is a masterclass in leadership, the CRPF said. “A moment of immense pride for the entire Force.” In 2017, Kumar released his book, Veerappan: Chasing The Brigand.
