Kanwar Pal Singh Gill

Who is Kanwar Pal Singh Gill?

Sardar Kanwar Pal Singh Gill served twice as Director General of Police Punjab, where he is credited with having brought the Punjab insurgency under control, and while the BBC reports that many see Gill as a hero, there are accusations that Gill and the forces under his command were responsible for human rights violations and genocide "... in the name of stamping out terrorism."

Gill retired from the Indian Police Service in 1995. He is an author, editor, speaker, consultant on counter-terrorism, president of the Institute for Conflict Management and president of the Indian Hockey Federation. He has also been the center of controversy. In 1996, he was convicted for sexual harassment at a 1988 party. However, on the other side, it is argued that Gill was targeted by lobbies inimical to him. After allegations of corruption within the IHF in 2008, the Indian Olympic Association suspended the IHF indefinitely.

He received a Padma Shri award, India's 4th-highest civilian honour, in 1989 for his work in the civil service.