Profiles

K P S Gill

K.P.S. Gill led the successful campaign against fundamentalist terrorism in Punjab as the Director General of Police of that State.

On joining the Indian Police Service, he was allotted to the Assam Cadre where, from 1958 to 1983, he handled, with notable success, a range of difficult assignments including law and order management during the periods of extended political strife and the emergence of terrorism in that State.

In the 1980s, when Punjab began to emerge as the most serious threat to national integrity since Independence, he was specially inducted into the State as Inspecter General of Police [Operations] and later elevated to the ranks of Additional Director General of Police, and eventually Director General of Police [DGP]. Within days of taking over as DGP, he mounted ‘Operation Black Thunder’, a critical success in the war against terrorism. In two tenures as DGP Punjab, [May 1988 – December 1990 & November 1991 - December 1995], he led one of the most successful counter-terrorist operations in the history of world terrorism, bringing Punjab from the verge of disintegration to complete normalcy. It was the Punjab Police that spearheaded anti-terrorist operations in the state in a campaign marked by radical strategic innovations.

Since his retirement from the Indian Police Service in December 1995, he held, among others the following positions:

President, Institute for Conflict Management, and Editor, FAULTLINES: WRITINGS IN CONFLICT & RESOLUTION.

Member of the North-East Study Group of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Member of the National Security Advisory Board [NSAB] constituted by the Government of India for the period December 1998 – December 1999, to define the country’s strategic perspectives and policy options on defence and internal security.

Security Adviser to the Chief Minister of Gujarat between May 2002 - July 2002.

Adviser to the Government of Chhattisgarh on Naxalite matters, April 2006-April 2007.

K.P.S. Gill writes extensively on politics, the economy, and governance, with a special focus on internal security and terrorism. He is the author of Knights of Falsehood (1997), and has co-edited (with Dr. Ajai Sahni) Terror & Containment: Perspectives on India’s Internal Security (2001); and The Global Threat of Terror: Ideological, Material and Political Linkages (2002).

*Writings*
Freedom From Fear: Occasional writings on Terrorism & Governance Punjab: Knights Of Falsehood The J&K 'Peace Process': Chasing the Chimera Terrorism, Institutional Collapse & Emergency Response Protocols Technology, Terror & a Thoughtless State Endgame in Punjab: 1988-93

Dr. Ajai Sahni

Dr. Ajai Sahni is Founding Member & Executive Director of the Institute for Conflict Management. The Institute focuses on research, documentation and consultancies on issues relating to internal security, primarily in South Asia. The Executive Director is responsible for research and administration; and with oversight of and participation in consultancy projects, including advisory projects undertaken for various National or State governments. Other positions currently held include:

Editor of the South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR), a weekly service that provides regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.

Executive Editor of Faultlines: Writings on Conflict & Resolution, the quarterly journal of the Institute, since the commencement of the journal in 1999.

Executive Director of the South Asia Terrorism Portal, since its conception in 1999 and launch in March 2000.
Project Director of the Institute’s Database and Documentation Centre on Conflict & Development in India’s Northeast at Guwahati, a project supported by the Indian Council for Social Science Research.
Principal Investigator (Internal Security & Administration) for the Project on Planning & Development for India’s Northeast, a project supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Dr. Sahni has also collaborated on projects with the United Nations University, specifically, on the UNU project on the Management of Insurgencies; and on the UNU World Governance Survey. He has written extensively on issues relating to conflict and development in South Asia, and has jointly edited (with K.P.S. Gill) Terror & Containment: Perspectives on India’s Internal Security and The Global Threat of Terror: Ideological, Material and Political Linkages (2002). He received a Ph.D. from Delhi University with his thesis on Democracy, Dissent & the Right to Information, and has a career that spans both the print and electronic media, as well as research.

Writings

Dr. Kanchan Lakshman, Research Fellow; Assistant Editor, Faultlines

Dr Kanchan Lakshman is a Research Fellow with the Institute and Assistant Editor for the Institute's quarterly journal Faultlines: Writings on Conflict and Resolution. He joined the Institute in September 2000, and has been involved in editorial duties with regard to Faultlines since its seventh volume. He also provides editorial support to the Institute's weekly newsletter, the South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) and on the Institute's website, the South Asia Terrorism Portal (www.satp.org).

The primary focus of his research and documentation activities has been the terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and in Pakistan. He received a doctoral degree from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for his work on "The United Nations Secretary-General: Diplomacy in Conflict Resolution in the Post-Cold War Era". He has published extensively on issues related to terrorism and political violence in South Asia. His writings prominently include:

Dr. Bibhu Prasad Routray, Research Fellow

Dr. Routray is a Research Fellow with the Institute and is involved in research and documentation activities with regard to conflicts in India's Northeast, Left-wing extremism in India and Islamist extremism in Bangladesh. Having joined the Institute in September 2000, he was also the Director of the Institute's Database and Documentation Centre on Conflict & Development (DADC) in India's Northeast, at Guwahati in Assam between August 2001 and February 2005. He received his doctoral degree from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for his thesis on "Articulation of Dissent in an Authoritarian Regime: Case Study of Indonesia under the New Order (1947-85)".

Dr. Routray has written extensively in various journals, print media and on the Internet on terrorism, internal security and democracy. His writings include, among others:

Ajit Kumar Singh, Research Associate

Ajit Kumar Singh joined the institute in June 2005. He is currently documenting the terrorist and political violence in Sri Lanka. He is pursuing his Ph.D. from the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on "The Ethnic Conflict and State Structure in Afghanistan: 1989-2001".

Dr. Sandipani Dash, Research Associate

Dr. Sandipani Dash joined the Institute in December 2005. He is currently documenting the terrorist and political violence in India's Northeast. He received his doctoral degree from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for his thesis on "Sudan's Oil Diplomacy: 1991-2003".

Tushar Ranjan Mohanty, Research Assistant

Tushar Ranjan Mohanty joined the Institute in August 2008. He is currently documenting the terrorist and political violence in India's northeast. He is pursuing M.Phil. from the Department of African studies, Faculty of Social Science, Delhi University, New Delhi, on "Angola’s Energy Potential: Prospect For India".

Fakir Mohan Pradhan , Research Assistant

Fakir Mohan Pradhan joined the Institute in September 2008. He is currently documenting the terrorist and political violence in Nepal. He is pursuing Ph.D. from the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, on "Mediation in Conflict Resolution: A Case Study of Aceh Peace Process."

Asutosha Acharya, Research Assistant

Asutosha Acharya joined the institute in October 2008. He is currently documenting the terrorist and political violence in India with special attention to Islamist Extremist Movements. He received his Master Degree in Geography from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi.