MP cop stripped of gallantry award

BHOPAL: In a rare instance of action against a police officer for a fake encounter, the gallantry award given by the President to an IPS officer posted in Madhya Pradesh has been taken back after the National Human Rights Commission found him guilty of orchestrating a fake encounter.

A gazette notification issued on September 30 in this regard said that the award given to DIG (Ratlam) Dharmendra Choudhary was being taken back. Issued by the President’s secretariat, it said: “The Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to Shri Dharmendra Choudhary, additional SP Madhya Pradesh police ...is hereby cancelled and the medal forfeited under Rule 8 of the Rules governing the award of Police Medal.” Choudhary was posted in Jhabua as additional SP in 2002 when he had gunned down notorious criminal Lohan, who was wanted by police of three states — Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan — and had 11 cases of heinous offences registered against him.

According to police records, 22-year-old Lohan, a resident of Mehendikhera under Kalyanpura village. On December 5, 2002, the then Jhahua SP, RL Borna, received information from constables Mansingh and Sanjay Pratap Singh that Lohan, accompanied by two others, was going to Pitol on a motorcycle. A police team under then additional SP Dharmendra Choudhary was formed and cordoned off the area. While escaping, Lohan fell, started firing, and was killed in the cross-firing. A magisterial inquiry was launched and an internal probe found that the encounter was genuine.

Subsequently, Sanjay Pratap Singh and Mansingh were given out-of-turn promotions and Choudhary received the gallantry award from the President on May 14, 2004, after the recommendation of the state home department. Later, the NHRC the encounter was fake and submitted a report to the secretariat of the President of India. After a hearing, it was decided that the award be taken back.

Choudhary could not be contacted by HT . However, speaking to local media in Ratlam, Choudhary said that he had not received any official communication. DGP Rishi Kumar Shukla said, “I can’t comment... The medal has been taken back. Most probably the officer will make a representation and I will forward it to the government. This is a very old case and we have stopped recommending gallantry award for encounters.”

CHOUDHARY WAS POSTED IN JHABUA AS ADDITIONAL SP IN 2002 WHEN HE GUNNED DOWN NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL LOHAN