Former advisor to the Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir retired IPS officer K Vijay Kumar has been appointed as a senior security advisor in the Union Home Ministry headed by Amit Shah.
According to the reports, the 1975-batch officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS) will be advising the Minister of Home Affairs on security-related matters of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected States, the order said.
The appointment order issued by the Union Home Ministry on December 3 stated that former cop Kumar will be in the position for a period of one year from the date of his taking charge.
K Vijay Kumar is known for successfully carrying out an operation against one of India’s most wanted criminals, Veerappan. In 2004, Kumar as the chief of the Special Task Force had launched ‘Operation Cocoon’ to nab or kill sandalwood smuggler Veerappan in Tamil Nadu. The success of the operation that ended with the killing of Veerappan made him a household name in Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, Kumar has also served as the Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Director of the National Police Academy in Hyderabad. In 1998, he was appointed as IG, operations of BSF in the state. He holds extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations and jungle warfare.
During his two-year stint as the Police Commissioner of Chennai in 2001-2003, Chennai saw many encounters where many of the city’s mafia dons were gunned down. When criticised by human rights activists, his reply was, ” Policemen do not carry guns as ornaments”.
After his retirement from service and as DG, CRPF in 2012, Kumar was appointed as senior security advisor (LWE) in the Home Ministry then headed by Rajnath Singh.
In 2018, Vijay Kumar was appointed as an Advisor to the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir governor along with IAS officer BB Vyas, the Chief Secretary of the state.