Prateep Philip was one among those on the security duty when a human bomb exploded that led to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991. Philip, the then Kanchipuram ASP, was critically injured in the blast, yet survived. The bloodstained cap and name badge he used at the time were kept in the case as documents in the custody of the court.
Philip, who retired as DGP on September 30 had earlier filed a petition in the first additional sessions court seeking permission to have the cap and the name badge during his retirement event as a sign of emotional attachment towards his belongings.
Later, hearing the petition, the court granted him interim permission to have the cap and name badge at the time of retirement. The court also ordered to handover both the materials after the farewell. On September 30, Philip got the bloodstained cap and the name badge with the permission of the court. Subsequently, he paid a conditional amount of one lakh rupees to carry his belongings during the farewell.
A native of Bangalore, Philip was directly selected for the Indian Police Service in 1987 and started his career in the Tamil Nadu Police team. He served in the Tamil Nadu Police for 34 years and served as Deputy Superintendent of Police and Inspector of Police in four districts where he also served as DGP of Prevention of Smuggling and Criminal Investigation as well as Tamil Nadu Police Training.
He played an important role in introducing the Friends of Police (FoP) to the Tamil Nadu Police. The FoP was a community policing initiative in Tamil Nadu. The movement was founded in 1993 by Philip with an aim to bring police and public closer.
He is also the recipient of several awards and notably received an award from London in 2002 for his excellent management in Tamil Nadu police training. A ceremony was held under the high command of Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra babu at the Rajarathinam Stadium in Chennai on September 30 to bid him adieu. He was also honoured with a special parade of police officers.
While addressing the gathering, he shared his nightmare experience of being one of the victims of the Sriperumbudur suicide bombing in 1991. He said, “I aimed to become a journalist in my life. But my path changed. The last day of my service is said to be the first day of my life’s second chapter. Meanwhile, I feel proud to have worked with Tamil Nadu Police for more than three decades. I had two bad incidents in my life when I was an ASP at the beginning of my tenure. One worst incident took place while I was on the security duty near the red carpet for former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur when he visited Tamil Nadu and was killed in human bomb blast that was beyond my ability to detect. Within no time, I was blown into the air. Rajiv Gandhi, who is said to be India’s John F Kennedy, was thrown in the blast, which the sight still haunts to be the worst nightmare. I could see blood all over people’s face and felt something really bad has happened.”
“However, I was terribly thirsty when I was in a pool of blood after that bombing. At that time, an ordinary citizen gave me water, where even today I could recall his face and I still believe he is an angel sent by God. Apparently, that horrible incident was the root of my hope. It gave me the motivation to recover from severe injuries. On the whole, it was the bunch of motivation that made me move forward like a rocket. The Friends of Police, which I started, will continue to serve the Tamil Nadu people. The Friends of Police had played a key role in feeding thousands of people over the past 18 months,” he said.
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