Tribute

Missing: Photo Of Odisha’s Ashok Chakra Recipient From Gallantary Awards Site

By
OB Bureau

The picture of Odisha’s only Ashok Chakra recipient, Assistant Commandant Pramod Kumar Satpathy, of the Special Operations Group (SOG) is missing from https://gallantryawards.gov.in/awardees/ashok , the government’s official site of all gallantry awardees.

A Twitter user, JD Pati, drew attention to the missing picture in a reply to a tweet by Odia IPS officer Jai Narayan Pankaj, who had posted a picture of the martyr along with two others from the state. 

On this day, in 2008, Pramod Kumar Satpathy, a valiant son of Odisha, lost his life while trying to prevent Maoists from looting arms and ammunition stored in two police armouries in Nayagarh and Dasapalla towns in one of the biggest attacks anywhere in India in years.

He fell to the bullets of the Maoists but not before forcing them to abandon 75 per cent of the arms and ammunition they lad looted. Satpathy, then 43, was awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously, the only Odia to have received the honour till date.

Nearly 500 heavily-armed Red rebels came in vehicles, besieged Nayagarh and Dasapalla towns, killed 13 policemen and one civilian, looted all the arms and ammunition stored in two police armouries and retreated into the forests after driving in a hijacked bus for nearly 40 km.

All night and well into the next morning, the team followed their trail. Finally, he found the abandoned hijacked bus that the Maoists had used to flee, as well as half the weapons near Gasma Hill in central Odisha. Satpathy could have waited for reinforcements at this point of time but he chose to take a risk. He knew that any delay would mean more Maoists and losing government weaponry. Satpathy took down a few militants before he himself fell to their bullets. The Maoists fled, abandoning 75 percent of the seized weapons.

After Satpathy died, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said his family could retain their government apartment for eight years. His wife was offered a government job as compensation.

 

 

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Temple Attack In Canada: Political Space Given To Extremists, Says Jaishankar

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday expressed serious concerns regarding the increasing…

November 5, 2024

[Watch] Samantha Ruth Challenges Past Failures For A Better Future In Films

Mumbai: During an Ask Me Anything session, actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who had set the…

November 5, 2024

Senior Servitor Blames Heritage Corridor For Cracks On Boundary Wall Of Jagannath Temple In Puri

Puri: After Odisha's Law Minister, a senior servitor of Jagannath Temple in Puri has blamed…

November 5, 2024

One-Night Stands To Forced Abortions, Somy Ali’s Shocking Allegations Against Salman Khan

Mumbai: Salman Khan’s ex-flame Somy Ali, during a recent ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Reddit,…

November 5, 2024

Odisha Govt Orders Transfer Of Ministerial Staff Of Registration Offices In 7 Days

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has ordered the transfer of all the ministerial employees of the…

November 5, 2024

Odisha Cong Leaders Seek Governor’s Intervention In Mango Kernel Deaths

Bhubaneswar: The Congress party has sought the intervention of Odisha Governor in death of two…

November 5, 2024

This Is How Anushka Sharma Wished Virat Kohli On His Birthday!

New Delhi: Anushka Sharma has once again shared the cutest birthday wish for her husband…

November 5, 2024

Odisha CM Orders RDC-Level Probe Into Mango Kernel Deaths In Kandhamal

Bhubaneswar: With the death of two women in the mango kernel incident in Kandhamal triggering…

November 5, 2024