NEW DELHI, May 18: Former CRPF director general K Vijay Kumar, who led several high-profile anti-insurgency and anti-terror operations during his distinguished career in the Indian Police Service, will be conferred the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu on May 25.
A 1975-batch IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Kumar is known for heading the Special Task Force that eliminated forest brigand Veerappan in 2004 after a two-decade-long manhunt.
Born on September 15, 1952, he studied at St Joseph’s College and Madras Christian College before joining the IPS. Kumar qualified for the IAS in 1976 but chose to continue in the police service.
During his career spanning nearly five decades, he served in several key positions, including Commissioner of Police, Chennai, Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Senior Security Adviser in the Union Home Ministry on Left Wing Extremism and Jammu and Kashmir affairs.
As DG of the CRPF between 2010 and 2012, Kumar focused on modernising training and operations after the Dantewada Maoist attack. He later served as Senior Security Adviser from 2013 to 2018, a period during which Maoist violence declined significantly.
Kumar also played a key role in security management in Jammu and Kashmir during the pre- and post-Article 370 period while serving as Adviser to the Governor between 2018 and 2020.
As IG, BSF in Kashmir (1998–2001), he commanded nearly 50,000 personnel during the Kargil War and the peak of fidayeen attacks, leaving behind one of the force’s strongest operational records.
He has been awarded the President’s Police Medals for Gallantry and Distinguished Service and authored the book “Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand”. (Agencies)
