A CRPF squad that fought terrorists who attacked a police station in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and saved lives of numerous unarmed policemen last year have been decorated with top police gallantry medals this Republic Day.
Two of the personnel, constables Suraj S Mohite and Satish Kumar, have been decorated posthumously with the President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) while two others have been given PMG for the operation that took place on March 20, last year at the Rajbagh police station.
Only three security personnel have got the top PPMG this year, out which two are Mohite and Satish.
The attack had taken place a few days after PDP-BJP coalition government in J-K had come had assumed office and the brave CRPF men saved the day as the police 'thana' that came under attack had a number of unarmed personnel posted for regular administrative duties.
Apart from Mohite and Satish, the Central Reserve Police Force squad leader, Deputy Commandant Pawan Kumar and constable Rakesh Kumar have been awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) for their dare-devil exploits in neutralising the two terrorists, who had launched a 'fidayeen' attack.
Both Mohite and Satish, their citation said, "displayed raw courage in moving out of their barracks and positioning themselves between the troopers (unarmed ones) and the militants in a manner so as to halt the advance of the militants".
The duo were present in the police station as part of a CRPF platoon on operational tasks and were alerted by their colleagues and a sentry guard about the entry and attack by the two militants.
The militants wore army fatigues and told the gate sentry
that they have come to hand over three suspects to the police and hence were allowed in, the citation said.
"Having succeeded in neutralising one of the militants and despite sustaining severe injuries, they (Mohite and Satish) ensured that the second militant did not succeed in entering the barracks. Beaten by their fierce determination and valour, the second militant hid himself in a room and was subsequently neutralised," it said.
It said despite sustaining serious injuries, they "held to their positions and after coming face to face with the terrorists fired and gunned down one of the terrorists".
They were martyred in the police station after they received a number of bullet shots.
DC Pawan and constable Rakesh soon after came in as reinforcement party from a near-by CRPF location and Pawan, taking the help of a bullet-proof vehicle, went close to the room where the second militant was hiding and shot him dead, it said.
After the end of the operation, three security personnel and two civilians were killed while the two militants were neutralised by the CRPF team belonging to the 121st battalion of the force deployed in the area for counter-insurgency tasks.
