CHENNAI: VR Lakshminarayanan (91), former Tamil Nadu Director General of Police, who executed the arrest of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the late 70s, died at his residence here on Sunday.
Younger brother of well-known jurist V R Krishna Iyer, VRL, fondly called so in police circles, graduated in Physics from Madras Christian College in 1945 and finished his graduation in law. Since his father and brother were in judiciary, he opted for the police service and underwent training at Mount Abu.
Joining the force in 1951, he was posted as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Madurai when Kamarajar was Chief Minister. He went on to serve during the tenure of C N Annadurai, M Karunanithi and M G Ramachandran and also served in the Malabar Special Police in Nagaland during insurgency.
Knowing that he was a stickler for rules, MGR brought him to Tamil Nadu. One of his great services to the police fraternity was his initiative to provide quarters for the personnel. He served as Chairman and MD of the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation from 1981 to 1984 soon after he returned from the CBI to the State service.
“Even years after his retirement, he was fondly remembered. In 2014, when we were waiting in a queue at the airport, a senior police officer who had two years left for retirement came running and saluted Lakshminarayanan. He then told the other officers that it was only because of him that they had a roof over their heads. The senior officer took his bags and walked us all the way to the waiting room. This happened almost 30 years after Lakshminarayanan had retired,” said his nephew A Ranganathan, a retired Air Instructor and Safety expert.
It was Indira Gandhi, who presented him two medals for meritorious and distinguished service, added Ranganathan. But the Moraji Desai government charged her with corruption and as the CBI Joint Director, he was to arrest her.
In his book ‘Appointments and Disappointments,’ Lakshminarayanan remembered how he urged Rajiv Gandhi to tell his mother to surrender since he did not want police arrest Nehru’s daughter.
“After Indira Gandhi emerged from her room, in order to convince the crowd that had gathered around her residence, she held her hand out to Lakshminarayanan, asking him to handcuff her. He replied that he never wanted to handcuff a person who had pinned two medals on his uniform, adding he had forgotten to bring handcuffs.”
After retirement, Lakshminarayanan spent most of his time mentoring junior officers and in charity. “He had only one regret. The police force that has to be neutral has become a puppet of politicians. He often used to say that the force was built to bring criminals to justice and protection to the public, but now people fear police rather than feeling safe,” said Ranganathan.
“It was his unwillingness to compromise while investigating corruption cases earned him so much respect. Though I did not know him personally, many commissioners of police like me have sought his mentorship,” remembered Chennai city Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan.
Lakshminarayanan is survived by son Suresh Lakshminarayanan and daughters Usha Ravi and Rama Lakshminarayanan. The funeral will be held at Anna Nagar crematorium on Tuesday morning.