DIG left waiting for his award

A senior IPS officer selected for the Police Medal was not given his award even as Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik honoured 26 other personnel on 63rd Independence Day today.

A senior IPS officer selected for the Police Medal was not given his award even as Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik honoured 26 other personnel on 63rd Independence Day on Saturday.

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Vinaytosh Mishra, an IPS officer of 1983 batch at present posted at Bokaro in Jharkhand as DIG, CISF on central deputation, has lodged a complaint with state chief secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy expressing his disatisfaction over the denial of the medal under meritorious service category.

Mishra was posted as DIG (Home Guard and Fire Service) till he went on central deputation on November 3, 2008.

"I do not know why I was denied the award. I was earlier informed that I was to receive the award," he told reporters here.

Though Mishra had a good track record, at least 13 tribals were killed in a police firing at Kalinga Nagar on January 2, 2006 when he was the superintendent of police (SP) of Jajpur district.

His selection for the award was announced on Republic Day year and he had travelled from Bokaro with his family to receive the award.

With the police fraternity in the state expressing surprise over the denial of the award to him, Tripathy said "I will examine why Mishra was denied the award."