Chhattisgarh Director General of Police O P Rathore (58), at the helm of the anti-Maoist operations in the state, died this afternoon after suffering a massive cardiac arrest. Rathore was addressing senior police and administrative officials at an anti-terrorism function when he suffered a heart attack.“The DGP collapsed while he was delivering a lecture at the Academy of Administration at the State Secretariat on the occasion of Anti-Terrorism Day,” confirmed a senior official. “He was rushed to the Escorts Heart Institute, Raipur, where he was declared dead,” he added.Doctors at Escorts said Rathore didn’t have a history of heart ailment. “Rathore was brought here at about 1:15 pm. He was not breathing and had no heart beat either. His pupils were dilated,” said Sandeep Srivastav, chief of the Escorts hospital. “We believe the cardiac arrest may have been due to excessive stress. All attempts were made to revive him, but he didn’t respond to any medical treatment,” said a spokesperson at Escorts. At 1:45 pm, Rathore was declared dead.Rathore is survived by his wife and two sons. “His wife and elder son are in the United States. The last rites will be performed after they return,” said a senior officer. Born in Himachal Pradesh, the 1973 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer began his career as Assistant SP, Gwalior. He took over as Chhattisgarh DGP in July 2004. It was during his tenure that the “Salwa Judum” campaign — an anti-Naxalite movement — was initiated in the state. However, in the past few weeks he had been facing flak over alleged fake encounters in the Maoist-affected areas. A senior IPS officer said the DGP’s death indicated the adverse working conditions in Chhattisgarh. “This is an example of the stressful conditions under which police officers work in the state,” he said. Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh said Rathore’s unexpected death would deal a blow to the state’s efforts to fight Naxalites. “He had been leading the police with complete dedication and devotion,” he said.Chhattisgarh Governor ESL Narsimhan also expressed grief over the death. “We have lost one of the finest police officers serving in the state,” he said.
