Former IPS officer Vijay Raman dies in Pune; led encounter that killed dacoit Paan Singh Tomar

Belonging to the 1975 batch of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, Raman was the superintendent of police in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district when he led the 14-hour encounter against Tomar on October 1, 1981. This was considered to be one of the biggest achievements of his career. Raman was part of multiple anti-terrorist and anti-Naxal operations and worked with different establishments including the MP police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and the Railway Police.

Veena said his passing came as a shock as he had been responding to the treatment. “He was admitted to the hospital on September 18 as he was breathless, but we shifted him out of the ICU on Thursday as he seemed better and were planning to take him home in 2-3 days. His passing away is very sudden and shocking for us,” said Veena, who had been planning to have a book written on his extraordinary career in the police services.

‘Operations man who led from the front’

Speaking to The Indian Express, retired IPS officer N Ramachandran, who is the president of the Indian Police Foundation, said, “Vijay Raman was my senior colleague in the Indian Police Service. We worked together for long years in the Special Protection Group. He was not only a close friend but also an exceptional leader known for his professionalism as well as deep compassion. He was an operations man and led from the front. He was very quick in decision-making and always took a principled stand. He always supported his team during times of crisis.”

“During the course of our work, we travelled together across India and to many countries in the world, and I cherish fond memories of Vijay. He will be deeply missed. His sudden departure is profoundly shocking, and our thoughts are with his family during this time of grief,” said Ramachandran.

Crucial assignments

In 1984, as superintendent of police at the Special Branch in Bhopal, Vijay Raman played an active role in rescuing and resettling traumatised citizens during the Bhopal gas tragedy. He was also instrumental in the surrender of the dacoits Phoolan Devi and Malkhan Singh.

From 1985 to 1995, in various capacities as assistant director and deputy director of the Special Protection Group (SPG) in Delhi, he handled the security of four Prime Ministers including Rajiv Gandhi, VP Singh, Chandra Shekhar and PV Narsimha Rao.

In 2003, as the IG of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Srinagar, Raman spearheaded a challenging 10-hour encounter that eliminated dreaded terrorist Ghazi Baba, the mastermind behind the Parliament attacks.

In 2000, as BSF IG (Jammu), Raman was instrumental in the construction of the delayed multi-crore project of fencing and floodlighting the international border with Pakistan. Raman and his team completed the job amid violence and constant tension, and the per-kilometre cost was lower than the projected expenditure.

Raman received several awards and honours during his 36 years in the police service. It included the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry in 1981, Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 1991, and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2001. He also holds the Guinness World Record and Limca Record in circumnavigation around the world by a made-in-India car in 1993.

Raman retired from service in February 2011 and settled down in Pune. However, he was selected as one of the three members of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) stationed in Bhopal to investigate the Vyapam scam in connection with alleged malpractices in the professional entrance exam. He also provided honorary services as an administrator at Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI), Pune for two years.

Vijay Raman is survived by his wife Veena and son Vikram.