Ashok Chakra for Odisha Police’s SOG officer who sacrificed his life fighting Maoists

[Hindustani78]

PTI
New Delhi, October 14, 2018 12:02 IST
Updated: October 14, 2018 12:44 IST
https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...his-life-fighting-maoists/article25219152.ece

Image for representation purpose only. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Indian Navy


Assistant Commandant Pramod Kumar Satpathy laid down his life on February 16, 2008 during a firefight between the security forces and the Maoists .

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 Maoists, Home Ministry officials said on Sunday.

Assistant Commandant Pramod Kumar Satpathy laid down his life on February 16, 2008 during a firefight between the security forces and the Maoists in the jungle of Ganjam and adjoining areas of 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 p.m., more than 500 heavily armed carried out simultaneous and multi-pronged attacks on the police training school (PTS) armouries located in police station, two other police stations and one out post and one police station and one out post in jungle, the officials said.

Special Operations Group (SOG) — many of them from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand — Maoists 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 two districts in hijacked buses and other vehicles along with their arms and ammunition.

Immediately after, Assistant Commandant Pramod Kumar Satpathy and other SOG members rushed 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 Maoists were hiding.

Subsequently, the team led by Assistant Commandant Pramod Kumar Satpathy mounted an assault. However, the maoists 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 Assistant Commandant Pramod Kumar 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.