ASI in JK Police gets India's highest peacetime gallantry award Ashoka Chakra

Jammu and kashmir Social Aspects of state

12-Aug-21

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Assistant Sub-Inspector Babu Ram and Constable Altaf Hussain Bhat of Jammu and Kashmir Police were posthumously conferred with the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra awards respectively on the eve of the 75th Independence Day.
While the Ashoka Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry honour, Kirti Chakra is the second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards.
President Ram Nath Kovind approved a total of 144 gallantry awards to armed forces, police and paramilitary personnel that included 15 Shaurya Chakras, four Bar to Sena Medals (gallantry) and 116 Sena medals (gallantry) and one each of Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra.
ASI Babu Ram wanted to join the armed forces since his childhood and after his schooling, he was appointed in J-K Police as constable in 1999. He was subsequently posted in special operations group (SOG) Srinagar on July 27, 2002 and was part of various anti-terror operations in which a number of hardcore terrorists were killed. The braveheart, during his service in the anti-insurgency group, remained part of 14 encounters in which 28 terrorists were gunned down.
Constable Altaf Hussain Bhat was a resident of Rathpora area of Safakadal in Srinagar. He was posted in Ganderbal where he was performing PSO duty with a protected person. On October 6 last year, the protected person was attacked by militants. Bhat retaliated and killed the terrorist and saved the life of the protectee, but himself got severe bullet injuries and later succumbed, thus attaining martyrdom in the line of his duty.