Indian Coast Guard Chief Passes Away

The Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard, Rakesh Pal, sadly passed away on August 18, 2024, in Chennai. He was just 59 years old and was in the city for an official event that was supposed to have the Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, in attendance.

Reports say that Mr. Pal collapsed at Chennai airport while welcoming Mr. Singh. He was quickly rushed to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital around 3:30 p.m. for urgent medical attention.

According to Dr. E. Theranirajan, the Dean of RGGGH, there was an intense effort to revive Mr. Pal at the airport itself. The ambulance team used a defibrillator five times to try to stabilize him, but he arrived at the hospital without any pulse or blood pressure, prompting immediate action from medical staff.

The doctors at the hospital discovered that Mr. Pal had a completely blocked artery. After performing an angiogram, they proceeded with angioplasty. Although they managed to restore heart function for a bit, he unfortunately suffered a massive cardiac arrest later and passed away at 7 p.m.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his sorrow at the news, stating he was deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Rakesh Pal, and acknowledged the significant strides made under Mr. Pal’s leadership in strengthening India’s maritime security.

Both Mr. Singh and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin visited the hospital to pay their respects and honor Mr. Pal’s legacy.