Ashok Chakra for Odisha Police's SOG officer who sacrificed his life fighting Maoists
New Delhi, Oct 14 : An Assistant Commandant of the Odisha Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) has been conferred with the Ashok Chakra posthumously for sacrificing his life while fighting the Naxals, home ministry officials said Sunday.
Assistant Commandant Pramod Kumar Satpathy laid down his life on February 16, 2008 during a fire-fight between the security forces and the Maoists in the Gosama jungle of Ganjam district and adjoining areas of Phulbani district.
Keeping in view his heroism and bravery, Satpathy was awarded with the gallantry medal Ashok Chakra posthumously, a Home Ministry official said.
On February 15, 2008, at about 10.30 PM, more than 500 heavily armed Naxals carried out simultaneous and multi-pronged attacks on the police training school (PTS) armouries located in Nayagarh police station, two other police stations and one out post of Nayagarh and one police station and one out post in Ganjam, the officials said.
Naxalite cadres, many of them from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, participated in the operation in which more than 1,200 weapons of various categories, including sophisticated ones, were looted and 14 police personnel and one civilian lost their lives, the official said.
After carrying out the operations, the militants retreated to the outlying jungle area of Ganjam and Phulbani districts in hijacked buses and other vehicles along with their arms and ammunition.
Immediately after, Satpathy and other SOG members rushed to Nayagarh on motor cycles. Assistant Commandant Satpathy quickly made a plan and with available forces, including the SOG, the Orissa Special Armed Police, the CRPF surrounded the area where the Naxals were hiding.
Subsequently, the team led by Satpathy mounted an assault. However, the naxalites took advantage of their numerical strength and unleashed heavy fire, another official said.
In the encounter, the SOG team had to retreat and in the ensuing operation Satpathy lost his life.
The Ashok Chakra is the country's military award for valour, courage action and self-sacrifice. It is first in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards.
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Kharge, Siddaramaiah disapprove Cong party’s 'Gayab' post on social media
Bagalkote/Bengaluru, Apr 30 (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday disapproved of his party’s social media pictorial 'X' post titled "Gayab" to portray Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a leader missing in action during a crisis. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too expressed a similar view.
The Congress had put up a social media post with a headless figurine. The image posted on 'X' without naming Modi showed an old photo of him with his body missing, and his clothes forming the outline.
The image carried the message "Gayab" (missing) on top with a caption in Hindi that read "jimmedari ke samay -- Gayab" (missing at the time of taking responsibility).
When asked by reporters in Bengaluru whether the Congress had to face embarrassment because of its "Gayab" social media post against the prime minister, Kharge said, "I have not seen it, what can I say."
"But, any person, whoever it is, whether prime minister or any person or leader, no attempt should be made to cause any damage to their dignity or image. Whoever does it, whether they (BJP) do it or our people (Congress), it is not right," he said.
Asked about controversial statements being made by party leaders in the wake of the current situation in the country and his instructions to them, Kharge said, "We have already given (instructions). You are aware of it."
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Bagalkote, Siddaramaiah said one should know the limitations attached to freedom of expression.
"I don’t know who does it on social media. It should never be done – either of Narendra Modi or any other person. Just because we have freedom of expression and personal liberty, we cannot do whatever we want. We should not defame others," the CM said.
After the post was removed, BJP's social media head Amit Malviya said on 'X', "Deleting the post won't erase the truth. Your 'Sar Tan Se Juda' mindset stands exposed."
"You are unapologetic Islamists who wouldn't hesitate to target even Prime Minister Modi if it meant clawing back to power. But you never will. The Rahul Gandhi generation is destined for political irrelevance, while India moves forward without you, and far beyond your reach," Malviya said.
On the union government's measures post Pahalgam terror strike that killed 26 people, Siddaramaiah said, "If the war is inevitable, then let the Centre go for it. I don’t object to it, but terrorism should be completely wiped out. That’s what the Centre should do."
Clarifying his previous statement that war should not happen, he said that all that he meant was that the Centre should also ensure the security of people.
"I never said no to war. In 1971, Indira Gandhi waged a war and defeated Pakistan. More than 90,000 soldiers surrendered," he explained.
