No Gallantry Medal For 6 Policemen Who Handled Haryana Farmers’ Protests Amid Row Over State's Recommendations

Haryana has received any police medal for gallantry this year on Independence Day amid the controversy over the state government recommending six officers who handled the farmers’ agitation on the Punjab-Haryana border.

The Haryana government had sent recommendations to Centre on July 2 for gallantry medals to IPS officers Sibash Kabiraj, Jashandeep Singh Randhawa and Sumit Kumar, as well as Haryana Police Officers Narender Singh, Ram Kumar and Amit Bhatia for “their exceptional bravery and leadership” in handling the farmer protests. Their names do not feature in the Centre’s list of gallantry awards made public on August 14.

The Punjab assembly speaker, Kultar Singh Sandhawan had recently written to the Prime Minister protesting against any such move, and farmers’ organisations had also criticised the recommendations made by the Haryana government. Farmers’ organisations who met Rahul Gandhi in Parliament last month also had this demand that Haryana’s recommendation on gallantary awards should not be met by the Centre.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was also filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where the Centre had informed the court on August 12 that it had not finalised gallantry medals for those recommended by Haryana. The list of officers receiving the police medal for gallantry was put out by the Centre on Wednesday on the eve of Independence Day and Haryana does not feature on the list.

The Additional Solicitor General of India, while appearing before the High Court on August 12, told the court that recommendations made by the Haryana government to the Centre for grant of gallantry medals posted at Shambhu border have been remanded for further opinion. The PIL had said that it was unfortunate the Haryana authorities had decided to recommend honouring three IPS and three Haryana Police officers who had acted against the farmers protesting at the Shambhu border. The farmers had wanted to march to Delhi asking for a legal guarantee on MSP issue.

Twelve other officers of Haryana have, meanwhile, received the Medal for Meritorious Service while one officer from Haryana, Commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora has received the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service.