JK policeman given 'Shaurya Chakra' posthumously for exemplary courage
New Delhi, Oct 11: A Jammu and Kashmir Police constable has been awarded the 'Shaurya Chakra' posthumously for showing exemplary courage while fighting militants in the restive state, officials said.
Manzoor Ahmed Naik, who was a resident of Uri in Baramulla district, laid down his life at Haffu Nigeenpora village of Tral in South Kashmir's Pulwama district on March 5, 2017 during a gunfight with militants.
Naik was a part of cordon and search operation in the area jointly conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Rashtriya Rifles and the CRPF.
On the day, the 33-year-old policeman, who became a father soon after he lost his life, was trying to flush out militants holed up in a house, after escaping a volley of fire in his first attempt, a home ministry official said.
In his first attempt, Naik, undeterred by blazing fire from assault rifles, crawled in the pitch dark and placed explosives around the house. As he started retreating, he came under heavy fire, but he escaped unharmed. The explosives planted by him, though, brought down half of the house.
After a wait of two hours, when the exchange of firing stopped, Naik again volunteered to plant explosives to bring down what remained of the house. As he charged towards the house second time, he was hit by a volley of bullets from a militant.
Despite, his wounds, the constable placed the explosives on remaining part of the house before breathing his last, the official said.
During the encounter, two militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed and large quantity of arms and ammunition including 2 AK-47 Rifles were recovered from the possession of the killed militants.
Naik, without caring for his personal safety and besides being seriously wounded continued to fight till his last breath, another official said.
Honouring his exemplary bravery, Naik was awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously by the government, the official said.
The Shaurya Chakra is the country's military award for valour, courage action and self-sacrifice. It is third in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards after the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
