Obituary: Former Punjab Chief Secretary who opposed Operation Bluestar

Former Punjab Chief Secretary KD Vasudeva, who helmed Punjab through the critical years leading up to Operation Bluestar and later, is no more. He was 94.

Vasudeva, a 1956-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, passed away on March 1 in Vadodara.

He was visiting his daughter Vatsala Vasudeva, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, currently Managing Director, Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited.

Vasudeva was appointed the Chief Secretary in June 1982 replacing Ishwar Chander Puri. The change was part of the government’s efforts to stabilise a deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

Vasudeva is remembered in the annals of Punjab history for the stand he took against Operation Bluestar.

Former Chief Secretary of Punjab Ramesh Inder Singh, who authored “Turmoil in Punjab: Before and After Bluestar: An Insider’s Story” today told The Tribune that Vasudeva as Chief Secretary was not in favour of an Army operation at the Golden Temple.

“KD Vasudeva was not in favour of the Army operation at the Golden Temple but abided by the decision of the higher-ups. I interviewed him for my book and he told me that they had advised the government against the Army operation and that even the Governor at the time BD Pandey had advised similarly,” Singh said, remembering Vasudeva as an “extremely honest and simple person who would often drive to work in his own vehicle.”

Born in Dehana village of Hoshiarpur in Garhshankar on December 28, 1931, Vasudeva grew up in Jalandhar Cantonment. Speaking to The Tribune today, Vatsala said her father did BA in English literature and later MA.

“He served as Bathinda DC for around four years and briefly as Ludhiana DC. He then moved to Chandigarh and served in multiple departments. He had a stint at the Food Corporation of India as well,” Vatsala said, adding that her father had come to spend the winter with her in Vadodara and passed away peacefully at home.

Vasudeva remained the Chief Secretary till 1985 after which he went to the Centre. He retired in December 1989 as a Secretary to the Government of India and is survived by two daughters — Anupam Bawa, a retired management professor at Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Vatsala Vasudeva, a serving Gujarat-cadre bureaucrat.