Coast Guard DG Rakesh Pal dies in Chennai

Chennai: Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard, Rakesh Pal, died here on Sunday due to a heart attack, hours after he complained of chest pain. Pal, who was in Chennai to attend the inauguration of Coast Guard facilities, died at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) at around 7 pm on Sunday.

Pal, according to sources, complained of chest pain and uneasiness at INS Adyar in Chennai at around 2 pm while he was coordinating the visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to the city. “He was rushed to RGGGH where he passed away,” a source told DH.

Singh and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin visited the hospital late Sunday evening to pay their last respects to Pal.

“Deeply saddened at the untimely demise of Shri Rakesh Pal, DG, Indian Coast Guard in Chennai today. He was an able and committed officer under whose leadership ICG was making big strides in strengthening India’s maritime security. My heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family,” Singh wrote on X.

Pal was appointed as the 25^th Director General of ICG in July 2023. Having joined ICG in 1989, Pal was an alumnus of the Indian Naval Academy.