CHENNAI: Director General of Indian Coast Guard Rakesh Pal (59) passed away due to cardiac arrest in Chennai on Sunday afternoon. Pal, who took charge as the 25th Indian Coast Guard (ICG) chief on July 19 last year, was in the city for the inauguration of the state-of-the-art Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) building by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday.
The officer suffered a cardiac arrest before the inauguration event and was rushed to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where he was declared dead. The Defence Minister, who was in Chennai to release a commemorative coin to mark Kalaignar M Karunanidhi’s birth centenary, visited the hospital and paid his last respects.
Sources said the mortal remains of the officer will be flown to New Delhi soon. “He was an able and committed officer under whose leadership ICG was making big strides in strengthening India’s maritime security,” the minister said. In his distinguished career spanning 34 years, the flag officer had held several key appointments on the sea and ashore.