Bhopal: A Madhya Pradesh IPS officer, Dharmendra Choudhary, will be stripped of his bravery award after the human rights panel found that the gunfight for which he was given the medal was staged. The Police Medal for Gallantry Award has been cancelled and forfeited by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, following National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recommendation to the central government for the same.As per the order, “the Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to Dharmendra Choudhary, Addl SP Madhya Pradesh police vide this secretariat notification in April 2014, is hereby cancelled and the medal forfeited under Rule 8 of the Rules governing the award of Police Medal.” The order was issued by
The order was issued by the President’s Secretariat on September 21, 2017. In the year 2008-09, the NHRC had raised several questions in its probe into the gunning down of an inter-state dacoit Lobhan (who carried Rs 16,000 reward on head) in an alleged encounter by a police team led by then additional SP (ASP) Dharmendra Choudhary in Jhabua district in 2002. He got the bravery award for it in 2004.
Two constables who formed part of the police team which killed the dacoit wanted by MP and Rajasthan police were also given out of turn promotions. The NHRC in its probe report said that the gunfight was staged but the state government has rejected its finding. NHRC instituted a probe into the incident and on the basis of its findings including autopsy report of the slain dacoit had raised several questions about the genuineness of the encounter. It particularly questioned the close range gunshot wounds in the slain dacoit’s body.
The NHRC had also ordered the MP government to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to Lobhan’s family and recommended for reviewing the police medal for gallantry awarded to Choudhary. The state government, however gave clean chit to Choudhary and his team and maintained that the encounter was genuine. The DIG Dharmendra Choudhary while talking over phone to media said that he has heard about the order but has not received it yet.”Once I receive the copy of the order, I’ll make my submissions in the matter before my departmental higher ups,” he added
