Posthumous gallantry medal for CRPF ASI for bid to stop Pulwama attack 

By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: An assistant sub-inspector of CRPF who died in a blast while chasing an explosive-laden car in Pulwama in February 2019 is among those who will be awarded gallantry medals at the Republic Day function on Tuesday. He will be among the two who are being honoured with the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry.

The other President’s Police Medal for Gallantry awardee is Jharkhand police assistant sub-inspector Banua Oraon who died in an anti-Maoist operation in 2018. Both are being awarded posthumously.

Other 900 gallantry and service medal winners include an Inspector General of the Inod-Tibetan Border Police which has been at the forefront of vigil against PLA forces in Ladakh and two Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers who supervised probe into the Hathras gangrape-and-murder case.

On February 14, 2019, ASI Mohan Lal was the picket commander of the road opening party at Lethpora in Pulwama on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

According to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) , at about 3.10 pm Lal noticed a civilian car, running alongside the CRPF convoy passing through the area.

“Lal sensed something suspicious and rushed to stop the suspicious vehicle. He signalled and chased the car to stop, but could not match the car’s speed. Ultimately, finding no other option, he fired towards the suspicious car to stop, but the car rammed onto a CRPF bus, and a huge blast took place,” Lal’s citation read. The blast killed 40 CRPF soldiers, including Lal.

ITBP’s Inspector General  Deepam Seth, who heads the force’s Northwest Frontier, is among the 89 recipients of the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. Seth has been part of all Corps Commander-level meetings held between Indian and Chinese forces since June last year in Ladakh.

CBI Joint Directors Sampat Meena and Vineet Vinayak are among six officers from the agency who have been awarded Distinguished Service medals.

Apart from this, 73 personnel from fire services across the country have been awarded Fire Service Medals.