Retired Tamil Nadu DGP in Pursuit of Man Who Saved His Life at Scene of Rajiv Gandhi's Assassination

A retired Tamil Nadu director general of police (DGP) has been hunting for a man—not to put him behind bars but to thank him for saving his life three decades ago.

On May 21, 1991, Prateep V Philip was among those on security duty when a human bomb exploded in Sriperumbudur that led to the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Philip, the-then Kanchipuram assistant superintendent of police (ASP), was also critically injured in the blast. The then young officer was rescued and taken to hospital from the scene by a stranger.

The FoP (Friends of Police) movement has now started a “manhunt” on social media to identify the rescuer, who was never seen again after admitting the then ASP to hospital in 1991 and saving his life. Reportedly, the youngster Purushothaman was the first to comfort the then ASP after the blast in Sriperumbudur. Prateep was given water by Purushothaman when he was severely wounded in the incident, almost fighting for life. According to sources, the officer was just three feet away from the suicide bombing scene.

During his farewell last year, the retired DGP recalled, “I was terribly thirsty when I was in a pool of blood after the suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur. At that time, an ordinary citizen gave me water, where even today I could recall his face and I still believe he was 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.”

Prateep added that he remembers asking the man’s name and he replied “Purushothaman”. As soon as Prateep was admitted to the hospital, Purushothaman vanished and was never seen again.

The elusive man was the inspiration for Prateep V Philip to initiate the Friends of Police movement in 1993. The retired DGP played an important role in introducing FoP, or community policing, to the Tamil Nadu Police. The movement was founded almost three decades ago with the aim to bring the police and public closer.

Philip, who retired as DGP on September 30 last year, 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 hand over both the materials after the farewell.

On September 30, 2021, 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 last year. The cap and name badge he used at the time were kept as evidence in the case in the custody of the court.

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