New Delhi: Constables of Railway Protection Force (RPF) from East Coast Railway, P Sambasiva and Ravikant Singh, have been nominated for Railway Minister’s Medal for Bravery for 2017.
P Sambasiva will receive the award posthumously.
The constables showed exemplary courage fighting the Maoists in Bacheli Railway Yard near Dantewada in an effort to safeguard railway property and prevent suspected nefarious activity.
Nearest of their kin will receive a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh each from Union Railway Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal for their contribution towards maintaining smooth train operation in the Maoist-affected area of Dantewada district, especially from Kirandul to Dantewada Railway Section where several cases of arson, sabotage and derailment have been reported since 2015.
They were deployed for crime prevention and intelligence collection duty at Bacheli Railway Yard in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
While Sambasiva laid down his life, Ravikant was grievously injured fighting the Maoists on November 8, 2017.