New Delhi: ‘Supercop’ former Punjab DGP Kanwar Pal Singh Gill died yesterday at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi. He was 82. He had been recovering from peritonitis but died of sudden cardiac arrest due to cardiac arrhythmia.

Doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said KPS Gill was suffering from end stage kidney failure and significant ischemic heart disease. He died at 2.55 pm. He was admitted to the hospital on May 18. Kanwar Pal Singh Gill, popularly known as KPS. Gill joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1958 and was assigned to two North Eastern States of Assam and Meghalaya. He served twice as the DGP of Punjab and is credited for rooting out militancy in the State. He retired from IPS in 1995.

In 1989, Gill received a Padmashree award for his work in the civil service. He later turned into an author and wrote the book Punjab: The Knights of Falsehood in 1997. He also edited the 2001 book “Terror And Containment: Perspectives on India’s Internal Security” with Ajai Sahni and also co-authored the book “The Global Threat of Terror: Ideological, Material & Political Linkages” with Sahni.

He was also an editor of the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM) and President of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).