Jammu and Kashmir Police constable Manzoor Ahmad Naik, who was killed while taking on militants holed up in a house in Tral early this year, has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his daring and courageous feat.
The Shaurya Chakra is the third highest gallantry medal given during peace times. Naik is the lone policeman to have been awarded with a military medal this Independence Day.
The 36-year-old constable, who had joined the service in 2003 and was working with the elite Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police, made his supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on March 5.
His citation said Naik "displayed sheer grit and unflinching devotion to duty" during the difficult operation.
The brave jawan, who was soon to become a father for the second time, was so determined to do his task that he went to place explosives in a house holding the militants after miraculously escaping a volley of fire the first time.
Naik came forward on two occasions after senior officers decided to bring down the house at Reshipora from which the two militants had continued firing on a joint security forces squad comprising the police, the Army and the CRPF.
Undeterred by the firing from assault rifles, the brave heart crawled in the pitch dark surroundings and placed charges (explosives used for road construction) around the house.
The constable came under heavy fire from the militants as he started retreating towards his position but managed to escape.
"Koi baat nahi (don't worry)," was his nonchalant reply when it was pointed out to him that he would have been killed and he should not take such risks.
The explosives planted by him, however, brought down only half of the house. This was followed by a heavy exchange of fire which continued till nearly 2 AM.
The situation was tense as people in the nearby locality were protesting and the social media was abuzz with rumours to mobilise more people.
Soon, the firing stopped and after a wait of two hours, Naik again volunteered to plant explosives to bring down what remained of the house, after an Army Major suffered serious gunshot injuries.
As he charged towards the house, he was hit by a volley of bullets from a militant. Despite his wounds, Naik planted the explosives on remaining part of the house before breathing his last.
Survived by four-year-old son Aarzoo, a pregnant wife and two unemployed brothers, the resident of Salamabad in Uri North Kashmir) was the lone bread-earner for his family.
He had requested his senior officers earlier that he would want to proceed on leave as his wife was expecting.
"It's sad that we have lost a boy, but his love for his duty and motherland will not go waste. The supreme sacrifice made by the constable boosts the moral of Jammu and Kashmir police. I salute the brave heart," Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid had said.
Both the militants, one of whom was from Pakistan, were killed in the encounter.
One of the militants was a Hizbul Mujahideen operative identified as Aaquib Bhat, popularly known as Aaquib Maulvi, who was active in the area for the last three years.
The other, Saif-ul-lah alias Osama, was a Pakistani terrorist associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed.
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