Gurugram: None of the six Haryana police officers recommended for gallantry awards found place in the list of medal winners released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the eve of Independence Day.
The Haryana government had recommended the names of these six police officers, including three IPS, in recognition for their role in dealing with farmers’ protests at the Shambhu border in Ambala and the Khanauri border in Jind, in February.
Two separate proposals were submitted with the names of the six officers, including IPS — Sibas Kabiraj (Inspector General of Police, Karnal), Jashandeep Randhawa (Superintendent of Police, Kurukshetra), and Sumit Kumar (Superintendent of Police, Jind). Additionally, the list featured three Deputy Superintendents of Police: Amit Bhatia, Narender Singh, and Ram Kumar.
This omission is seen as a setback for the Haryana government, which had come under fire for nominating police officers for the awards despite the controversial use of force against the protesting farmers.
In February, thousands of farmers tried to break barricades in their attempt to march towards Delhi, resulting in a violent crackdown that led to the death of a farmer and injuries to several others. It was inappropriate to honour those involved in actions that led to civilian casualty, said critical voices.
The recommended officers were involved in the February incidents where the Haryana Police were deployed to prevent farmers from advancing towards the national capital. The aggressive tactics, particularly at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, were widely condemned with accusations of excessive force.
In July, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan wrote to PM Narendra Modi objecting to the Haryana government’s decision to recommend gallantry medals for the six police officers, citing their role in “preventing farmers” from marching to Delhi during the ‘Delhi Chalo’ movement.
After receiving the recommendations sent by the Haryana government through online mode (date not mentioned in the official communication accessed by ThePrint), the MHA, in a letter dated 8 July to the Haryana principal secretary, home, sought “firing details of all recommendees” as well as the status of criminal cases against the protesters, as part of the gallantry medal applications.
The Haryana government has maintained that its police did not open fire at Shambhu and Khanauri borders to prevent farmers from advancing towards Delhi.
The MHA, meanwhile, also questioned Haryana’s assertion in its proposal that the police operation to stop the farmers was not a joint effort as there were personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) involved as well.
Devinder Sharma, author, researcher, and columnist on agriculture, welcomed the omissions and argued that the decision to recommend officers for awards in such a context was “misguided”, adding that it could have sent the “wrong message” about the use of force in civil demonstrations.
“Gallantry awards are given to police and para-military forces for action against enemies of the nation like terrorists. Farmers are not enemies of the country. They feed people by growing crops,” Sharma told ThePrint, describing the omission of the six officers from the list of awardees as a natural justice.
In July, he had criticised the Haryana government’s move to recommend the six officers for gallantry awards.
On Wednesday, Sharma said that the snub by the MHA also raised questions about the criteria and considerations that go into the selection process for national honours, especially in cases where actions by law enforcement agencies have been contentious.
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Winners from Haryana
A total of 13 officers from Haryana find place in the overall list announced Wednesday by the MHA.
While no officer from Haryana made it to the gallantry medal list, Vikas Arora, Commissioner of Gurugram Police, was selected for the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, an honour reserved for officers with exemplary records.
Additionally, 12 others from the Haryana Police were selected for the Police Medal for Meritorious Service.
The awardees are Deepak Saharan, SP at Hisar; Kamaldeep Goyal, Assistant Inspector General, Provisioning; Surinder Singh Bhoria, SP at Ambala; Vijay Partap, SP at Nuh; Deepak and Sandeep Kumar, both Deputy SPs; Anil Kumar, Om Parkash and another Om Parkash, all Inspectors; and Ram Niwas, Santosh and Mahender Singh, all Sub Inspectors.
(Edited by Tony Rai)