New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Former CBI director P C Sharma, who died at a hospital here on Tuesday, was cremated in the presence of several serving and retired police officers on Wednesday, his family said.
The 82-year-old former IPS officer, who played a key role in the extradition of underworld don Abu Salem from Portugal in early 2000s, died at a private hospital where he was admitted three days back.
His daughter Bihu Sharma lit the pyre as those present including former Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar and former IPS officer U S Dutt prayed for the departed soul.
Recognisable by his bamboo cap, which he often wore at his public appearances as a symbol of his connection to Assam, was also put on the pyre by his daughter.
"Dad had many such caps and one of them had to definitely go with it," said a composed Bihu, a lawyer by profession.
Earlier in the day, CBI Director Praveen Sood and his senior officers visited Sharma's residence and placed a wreath on behalf of the staff of the CBI.
"Heartfelt condolences of the entire CBI fraternity are with the bereaved family in this hour of intense grief. May the soul of Shri PC Sharma rest in peace", Sood said in a statement later.
Director General of CISF Rajwinder Singh Bhatti, who had served under Sharma in the CBI, also paid his last respects to Sharma.
He said the former Director would be remembered for rendering yeoman service to CBI for 21 years.
An IPS officer of the 1966-batch Assam cadre, Sharma became the chief of the CBI on April 30, 2001, at a time when white-collar crimes were on the rise. He served the agency until December 6, 2003.
He first joined the CBI in 1978 as a Superintendent of Police. He was called back by the Assam government to handle the agitation in 1982.
In Assam, he was given the sensitive position of Deputy Inspector General (border and central range) and was tasked to identify and deport unauthorised intruding foreigners.
He came back to the CBI in 1984 and worked for the agency for 21 years across multiple tenures, holding various ranks including Superintendent of Police, Deputy Inspector General, Joint Director, Additional Director, Special Director, and finally Director.
In between, he also served as the Director General of Police in Sikkim.
He was elected the Vice President of Interpol and held the rare distinction of serving two consecutive terms as a member of National Human Rights Commission during both the NDA and UPA regimes.
He was known for his innovative approaches, including employing chartered accountants to tackle the growing issue of white-collar and financial crimes.
He did not shy away from arresting an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in connection with an alleged corruption case involving the then Vice Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority.
During his tenure, the CBI also raided the office of then Minister of State for Finance Gingee Ramachandran over allegations of corruption.
Sharma lost his wife in December 2022.