Apart from Brar, OCCU ASI Sukhwinder Kumar and Head Constable Parwinder Singh have been awarded with Police Medal for Gallantry. (Photo: Twitter/@DGPPunjabPolice)
A Punjab Police officer whose father laid down his life fighting terrorism in Punjab has become the only one from state to have won three police medals for gallantry coupled with Union Home Minister’s medal for excellence in investigation.
Bikramjit Singh Brar, who is serving as Deputy Superintendent in Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU), was among the personnel selected for Police Medal for Gallantry on the eve of Republic Day.
Brar was first conferred with the medal in 2011 for apprehending dreaded gangster Rajiv Raja at Samrala bus stand in 2010. He got the second medal for neutralising dreaded gangster Vicky Gounder in Rajasthan and the third one for neutralising gangster Ankit Bhadu in February 2019 in Zirakpur where three of lattter’s associates were arrested after the criminals had held two girls and their father hostage.
Brar was given Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence on August 15, 2020 for investigations in cases related to radicalised gangster Billa Mandiala; dreaded gangster Sukhpreet Budha who was extradited from Armenia following which recoveries of weapons were made and 22 of his associates were arrested; busting the module of gunhouses that supplied weapons to the criminals and gangsters where five persons were arrested and 159 weapons recovered; and his investigations relating to targeted killings in Punjab where Ashish from Meerut allegedly supplied weapons to one of the accused Dharminder Ghugni.
His (Bikramjit’s) father Baldev Singh Brar was SP (Detective) when he and then Patiala SSP Sital Das were shot dead by terrorist Balbir Singh at civil lines police station, as per Bikramjit, who joined Punjab Police as probationer Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in 2002.
Brar’s elder brother Varinder Brar who is currently serving as Assistant Inspector General with Punjab Police was absorbed as inspector in 1993 on compassionate ground.
Reacting on having been chosen for the award, Brar said, “I just feel it is a team work. I dedicate this [award] to my father.”
While Brar has earned the distinction of being lone officer from the force to have won three police medals for gallantry and Union home minister’s medal for excellence in investigations, DGP (Punjab State Human Rights Commission) Mohammad Mustafa told The Indian Express that he was “the only IPS officer in the country to have bagged four police medals for gallantry”.
Punjab CM’s security advisor in the rank of ADGP, Khubi Ram, said he won five police medals for gallantry. Ram joined Punjab Police as SP in Tarn Taran on deputation from his parent cadre of CRPF.
Apart from Brar, OCCU ASI Sukhwinder Kumar and Head Constable Parwinder Singh have been awarded with Police Medal for Gallantry.
ADGP Prisons Praveen Kumar Sinha and Inspector General of Police Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) Ananya Gautam will be conferred with President’s Police Medal for distinguished service.
Ludhiana police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal and four Punjab Police Service officers including SSP Vigilance Bureau Ludhiana Rupinder Singh, SP Headquarters SBS Nagar Manvinderbir Singh, DSP Bassi Pathana Sukhminder Singh Chauhan and DSP Punjab Police Academy Phillaur Ashok Kumar are among 16 police officers/officials have been selected for the Police Medal for meritorious Service. Other officials includes Inspector Prabhjit Kumar, Inspector Kulwant Singh, Sub Inspectors Som Nath, Nirmal Singh, Avtar Singh, Sukhjit Singh and Assistant Sub Inspectors Jaspal Singh, Parminder Kumar, Daljit Singh, Shinder Pal and Anil Kumar.