SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday said reports claiming that suspended officer Davinder Singh, who was arrested along with two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, was awarded a gallantry medal by the Union Home Ministry are not true even as the intelligence agencies continued to grill him to know if he was planning to ensure Hizbul deputy chief Naveed Babu’s escape to Pakistan.
“During the investigation, it has been found that Singh was to take Naveed Babu and another militant to Chandigarh,” sources said.
The interrogators are trying to ascertain if Singh intended to ensure the militants’ escape to Pakistan or “he was to drop them at someplace for carrying out an attack”.
Sources said the officials were analysing the former DSP’s bank accounts and ascertaining his assets.
After media reports claimed that Singh was awarded a police medal on Independence Day last year.
In a tweet, the J&K Police said, “It is to clarify that Dysp Davinder Singh is not awarded any Gallantry or Meritorious Medal by MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) as has been reported by some media outlets/persons. Only gallantry medal awarded to him during his service is by the erstwhile J&K State on Independence Day 2018.”
Tagging Singh as a “black sheep”, J&K LG G C Murmu’s Advisor Farooq Khan said the credit for identifying and nabbing him goes to the police.
“In any organisation, there is a black sheep and he was the one in the police,” Khan said.
Responding to a question about the impact of Singh’s arrest on the image of the police force, Khan pointed out that even the people who nabbed the DySP were policemen.