At least one of the winners of the Ashok Chakra, the highest peace-time gallantry award in India, this year, has been granted the honour despite controversy surrounding the supposed act of valour.
In view of the above, the hope for an impartial enquiry being conducted into the incident has receded further. There appears to be a strong possibility that those who decided upon the list of awards might also have arranged for reliable material evidence like autopsy (post mortem examination) reports, which could have proved that there hardly was any bravery involved, to vanish.
The main-stream news-media have mostly remained silent on the issue.
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2 comments:
Anonymous Says:
February 11, 2009 at 5:47 pm | Reply edit
Looks like the only norm for grant of the gallantry awards is death and the status of the personnel dead..the government would have done well to grant the highest peace time award to all persons who died. Not only shinde but there are several hotel exployess and even fire brigade personnel who had exhibited conspicuous bravery beyond the call of duty… their dedicated action has been rendered worthless due to the manner in which the nominations for the award have been accepted.. we continue to have double standard.. someone has been also granted the highest medal just for acting as jeep driver.. kudos to our democratic country…
A police officer, known as an encouner specialist, has been awarded “Ashok Chakra” for taking the job of a driver and for locking his subordinates including gunmen in the dicky of the qualis jeep. As if this was not enough, noise is now being made for an enquiry as to why the ak 47 gun allotted to him earlier was withdrawn. Would any one like to throw light on this issue as to what this officer would have done with the gun when his hands were engaged in holding the steering wheel of the jeep, To top this all the civic authorities have not lagged behind in adding their share of stupidity by felicitating the officer by naming a public garden after him. I have nothing against the officer who died and his family who is now suffering, they deserve full sympathy but that does not mean that the highest peace time gallantry award of the country is demeaned to such an extent. It will certainly be an insult to those who have actually fought for the country , laying down their lives while exhibiting devotiohn to duty, courage and gallantry of the highest order. George Bernard Shaw’s quote on martyrdom must have been in a lighter vein but has now become a reality.. he had said : “martyrdom is the only way in which a man can become famous without ability”. How true!
The point here is as to how the so called encounter specialist who has killed almost a hundred of people(who are tagged as hardened criminals) whithout getting even a scratch on his body, got killed without firing a bullet (the fact is that he could not have fired any bullets as he had chosen to become a jeep driver apparently to please the bosses). This more than prove that his so called encounters with the criminals were staged.
Sidhusaaheb Says:
February 11, 2009 at 8:29 pm | Reply edit
Well, then that makes two of them, I suppose.
I do not agree with the presentation of these awards to those police officers..Death is humbling..but not valor… simply if you come in front of fire does not mean your brave… when we guys join the army we know what we are getting into.. our oath is to go wherever ordered by a superior officer..
even more embarrassing for me was when one officers family started to pull the media expressing their sadness that their family member was not awarded…
Lots of army guys get shot , lose limbs in the line of duty but they never are given any ashok chakras… nor should they be.. gallantry awards..the chakras(not medals) are only for exceptional bravery in face of insurmountable odds..
Wolfy
Indian Army.
Wolfy | Homepage | 02.13.09 – 9:11 am | #
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I agree completely with you.
However, in the instance I’ve mentioned, the officer appears to have been killed on account of ‘friendly fire’ (I’m sure you know what that means.), since, according to his autopsy report, the three bullets that hit him entered his body from the back and exited from the front.
Also, the autopsy reports of the ‘terrorists’ that he and his men are supposed to have engaged in an ‘encounter’ with, show that they were beaten up mercilessly before being shot dead.
A newspaper known as ‘Mail Today’ claims to be in possession of copies of each of the above-mentioned autopsy reports and has published relevant excerpts, some of which are to be found in the blog-post I’ve linked to in this one.
Sidhusaaheb | Homepage | 02.15.09 – 8:42 am | #
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