No gallantry medal for Haryana Police

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 14

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has not approved the Haryana Government’s recommendation for the Medal for Gallantry (GM) award to cops posted at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders in February for halting the farmers’ protests.

IGP Sibash Kabiraj, SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa, DCP Narender Singh, and DSP Ram Kumar were recommended for action at the Shambhu border on February 13. SP Sumit Kumar and DSP Amit Bhatia were recommended for action on February 13 and February 14 at the Data Singh Wala checkpost (Khanauri border with Punjab) in Narwana, Jind.

None of the cops could get the Medal for Gallantry (GM). However, Vikas Arora, Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, received the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service and 12 other cops got the Medal for Meritorious Service.

In February, farmer unions had decided to march to Delhi to demand a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP). However, the Haryana Police personnel had halted them at the Shambhu (Ambala) and Khanauri (Jind) borders with Punjab. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha were leading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation.

After the Haryana Government’s recommendation, the Under Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), DK Ghosh, had asked the state’s Home Department to “furnish combined pro forma/citation, firing details of all recommendees, disposal/status of criminal cases against agitators and correct information regarding the joint operation” on July 8. After that, no clarification was sent to the MHA, sources said.

Earlier, ‘Lawyers for Humanity’ had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging the Haryana Government’s recommendation for gallantry awards to six cops. After the Centre submitted that the recommendation had been “remanded for obtaining further opinion”, the petitioners withdrew the petition on August 9.

It is worth mentioning that on February 13, farmers from Punjab had clashed with the Haryana Police at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, facing tear gas and water cannons as they attempted to breach barricades blocking their march to Delhi. Officials had claimed that protesters threw stones, while farmers complained about rubber bullets being fired at them. At the Shambhu border, protesters used tractors to try to move cement barriers. Some had dispersed into fields adjacent to the highway to bypass the roadblock. A drone was also seen dropping shells on the protesters at the Shambhu border. Both police officials and farmers had reported injuries.