The Olympic Games, have a direct connection to Friends Colony in South Delhi. Until a few years ago, a gentleman resided in Friends Colony whose efforts made the Olympic Games safe. If, after the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the Games have never again witnessed such a horrific incident, it is largely due to him. His name was Ashwini Kumar.
After the heart-wrenching terrorist incident in Munich in 1972, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requested the seasoned police officer Ashwini Kumar to oversee the security arrangements for the upcoming winter and summer Olympics in tandem with the host countries. Ashwini Kumar served in the Imperial Police Service before India’s independence. After independence, officers like Ashwini Kumar were incorporated into the Indian Police Service. He was also actively involved with the Indian Olympic Association (IOC).
Undoubtedly, Ashwini Kumar was entrusted with a highly challenging responsibility. It is believed that no event on Earth is bigger than the Olympics. Take the Paris Olympics, for instance. It hosts thousands of athletes, coaches, sports staff, spectators, and others from 206 countries. Billions of sports enthusiasts worldwide will watch the Games on their TV sets. You can imagine the scale of the Olympics.
Naturally, Ashwini Kumar would have pondered the responsibility of guarding the security of such a grand event. Ultimately, he accepted the responsibility entrusted to him by the IOC. Following this, no terrorist organization ever had the opportunity to disrupt the Olympic Games.
Ashwini Kumar personally oversaw the security of the stadiums, Olympic Villages, media centres, athletes, VIPs, spectators, and others associated with the Montreal (1976), Moscow (1980), Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), and Sydney (2000) Olympics. He also provided crucial inputs to the host countries’ security agencies. Due to advancing age, he stepped down from this responsibility after the Sydney Olympics.
Whenever the IOC awarded the Olympic Games to a city, the IOC would visit the city to establish coordination with the organizing committee and finalize the security arrangements. The strict police officer Ashwini Kumar used to say that summer games, due to the participation of athletes and spectators, are much more extensive than winter games. Therefore, securing them poses a real challenge.
Ashwini Kumar was also present in Munich on that fateful September 5 1972, when he learned that Palestinian terrorists had stormed the Olympic Village. No one had dreamt of such an attack. The target was Israel’s Olympic team. Eight Palestinian terrorists were behind this terrifying incident. These terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes. Five terrorists and one police officer were killed later during a helicopter rescue operation. The Palestinian Liberation Army (PLO) terrorists demanded the release of around 234 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel in exchange for releasing the athletes and safe passage to Egypt.
The first and last day of the Olympics
Ashwini Kumar was prepared to devise strategies for securing the Olympics and confront criminals head-on. His main focus was on the security arrangements for the first and last days of the Olympic Games. He believed that these two days were the most crucial for security agencies. Terrorists often plan to attack their targets during these two days. The last day of the Games is especially vulnerable because everyone is relaxed. Therefore, having the most stringent security measures in place is crucial. Even a slight lapse can lead to disastrous consequences.
When Ashwini Kumar took on overseeing the security arrangements for the Olympic Games, India had barely won a medal or two. Yet, he was given such a significant responsibility. He was a confidante of two IOC presidents: Lord Killanin and J.A. Samaranch.
India first got to know Ashwini Kumar when he apprehended the killer of Punjab Chief Minister Pratap Singh Kairon, Succha Singh, in Nepal. On February 6, 1965, Kairon was returning to Chandigarh after meeting a friend in the capital at Curzon Road (Kasturba Gandhi Marg). He was murdered by Succha Singh and his accomplices near Rai, Sonipat. Ashwini Kumar chased Succha Singh deep into Nepal. They fought hand-to-hand. However, Ashwini Kumar’s barrage of punches subdued Succha Singh. Before this, the Indian government sent him to eliminate the ruthless bandit Bhupat gang in Saurashtra in 1951. He succeeded there as well.
Hockey was his passion. He even named one of his daughters Hockey. While serving as the Director General of Punjab Police, he became the president of the Indian Hockey Federation. From there, he became associated with the Indian Olympic Association.
Ashwini Kumar was the second director general of the Border Security Force (BSF) and established this armed force. He is considered the patriarch of the BSF. A building of the BSF in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area is named after him. He hired dozens of athletes for the Punjab Police and BSF, including Balbir Singh Sr., Ajitpal Singh, Udham Singh, and others. Former RAW chief and formidable police officer A.S. Dulat says that Ashwini Kumar was a thoughtful police officer, besides being a connoisseur of music, art, and literature. Ashwani Kumar passed away in 2015.
