CHENNAI: Senior police officer Prateep V Philip hung up his boots on Thursday after 34 years of service. He is one of the survivors of the bomb blast that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Prateep V Philip joined the service in 1987 and served as Superintendent of Police in four districts and the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, CID. As Deputy IG, he led the Police Training Centre and served as the Commissioner of Trichy city, Tirunelveli range, and the Intelligence and Special Investigation Team in CID. He retired as DGP while holding the position of Director at Tamil Nadu Police Academy.
During his service, he had started Friends Of Police — a community policing initiative, and had introduced several new concepts in the department such as Equilibrium Thinking — aimed at transforming the attitudes of police and public, and Excenomics — an interdisciplinary concept to promote innovation. He won the prestigious Queen’s Award in 2002 from the United Kingdom.
Prateep, who was ASP in 1991, survived the bomb blast that claimed the life of Rajiv Gandhi and many others at Sriperumbudur. With hundreds of steel splinters piercing his body, he suffered multiple fractures and 20 per cent burns, from the face to legs. He recovered with no permanent damage to his body, though the process took nearly a year.