NEW DELHI: The probe officers in the Delhi riots case and the Bhima Koregaon case are among those awarded by the central government for ‘excellence’ this year. Rajesh Deo, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), who is heading the Delhi riots probe team and the sedition case against JNU student Sharjeel Imam, is among 121 awardees of the ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’.
Some other officers carrying out investigations in sensitive cases have also been awarded, including superintendent of police in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Vikram Khalate, who is in-charge of the Bhima Koregaon investigation, and NIA Deputy SP C Radhakrishnan Pillai, who is the chief investigation officer of the Kerala gold smuggling case.
The list of recipients of the award, of which 21 are women police personnel, was announced on Wednesday by the Union Home ministry. The award was constituted in 2018 with the objective to promote high professional standards of investigation of crime.
Besides heading the Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the violence in northeast Delhi, which left at least 53 dead, Deo is also leading the charge in the Jamia violence case of December 16 last year.
However, Delhi Police’s handling of the cases has been questioned by many, who have accused the police of acting in a partisan manner. In February, Deo was removed from poll duty by the Election Commission after he said that a gunman who had fired shots in the city’s Shaheen Bagh locality was a member of the ruling AAP.
The EC had said his comments were “totally uncalled for” and had consequences for “the holding of free and fair” Delhi elections on February 8. Of the total awardees, 15 are from CBI, 10 each are from MP and Maharashtra Police, eight from UP Police, and seven each from Kerala and West Bengal Police.
CBI officers who solved the murder cases of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda and rationalist Narendra Dabholkar also figure in the list. So do Inspector Perwez Alam, who solved the murder case of a visually impaired engineering student, and Inspector Vibha Kumari, who investigated the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.
Congratulating the awardees, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “A thorough investigation plays a pivotal role in delivering justice… This is a recognition of the outstanding service and commitment of our police personnel. India is proud of them!”