CRPF Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Mohan Lal, who had lost his life during the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, has been decorated with the highest police medal for gallantry on the eve of the Republic Day on Monday.
Mohan Lal is among the 131 CRPF 131 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and 71 Border Security Forces (BSF) jawans who will be awarded Police Medal for Gallantry, President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Police Medal for Meritorious Service on the occasion of Republic Day 2021.
A total of 207 police bravery medals were declared by the Union government apart from 89 President’s police medals for distinguished service and 650 police medals for meritorious service, as per a list published by the Union Home Ministry.
Only two police personnel have been decorated with the top category President’s Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) this time, CRPF’s Lal and late Jharkhand Police ASI Banua Oraon. As many as 205 personnel have been decorated with the second-highest police medal for gallantry or the PMG.
50-year-old ASI Lal was the picket commander of the CRPF road opening party deployed on February 14, 2019 at milestone number 272 near the BSNL Tower in Lethpora, Pulwama on the Jammu-Srinagar highway when the dastardly terror attack was carried out by the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist outfit.
The attack car was being driven by suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar with about 200 kgs of explosives inside.
The CRPF said Lal, after passing a few vehicles of the cavalcade, noticed this car “running alongside the convoy and trying to enter between the convoy vehicles.” The brave official “signalled and chased the car to stop but could not match its speed”.
“Ultimately, finding no other option, he fired towards the suspicious car to stop but the car rammed into a nearby running CRPF bus and a huge blast took place,” the force said
