Fifteen SSB personnel who neutralised six ‘most wanted’ Naxalites in two operations in Bihar have been awarded the police medal for gallantry on the eve of the 75th Republic Day. The police medal has come to the paramilitary force that guards unfenced Indian frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan for the operations undertaken in February 2022 in Lakhisarai district and another in July 2020 inside the Valmiki Tiger Reserve. Some personnel who were involved in both the operations were given the bravery medal for each encounter.
The first operation, under the supervision of commandants Deepak Singh and M K Pandey, led to the killing of two “dreaded” Naxals at ‘Ghoghi Kodasi’ in Lathiya Kol forest area of Lakhisarai, the official citation said. Lakhisarai provides a corridor for movement of armed Naxal cadres towards Jharkhand.
The SSB teams, drawn from the 32nd and 35th battalions, along with a unit of the local police, were fired upon by the Maoists first when they were trekking through a narrow jungle pass between two hills. The gunfight lasted almost three hours and Commandant Singh prepared a well-coordinated plan, perfect execution, and exemplary cohesion at the time of crisis leading to the killing of two CPI (Maoists) cadres on the spot while a third, Arjun Koda, suffered bullet injuries and he surrendered before the security forces a few months after this operation, the citation said.
These Maoists carried rewards and were among the ‘most wanted’ in the state, a senior officer told PTI. The other personnel awarded the gallantry medal in this operation include head constable Pradeep Kumar, constables Asim Toppo and Ganesh Singh Rana among others.
The second operation where the SSB personnel were awarded the gallantry medal pertains to the killing of four top Naxal ‘commanders’ and seizure of a dump of arms and ammunition from the tiger reserve. This team, their citation said, “exhibited striking courage, under sterling leadership quality with indomitable spirit, invincible fortitude despite being under bomb and bullets, they displayed the highest example of bravery.” The personnel involved in this second operation included deputy commandant Narpat Singh, Inspector Kumar Rirturaj and head constable Bheem Singh among others.
Constable Vijay Kumar was also awarded the gallantry medal posthumously for displaying bravery in Kashmir in 2018.
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