Though late but CRPF officer Vibhor Singh got Shaurya Chakra

Better late than never…! The government has now announced to give gallantry medal to Vibhor Singh, an Assistant Commandant of the CoBRA battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force, who lost both his legs in a fierce encounter with Naxalites two years ago. For once, Vibhor Singh’s act of bravery was ignored and he was not considered worthy of it.

In a press release issued by CRPF , it has been said that on the occasion of 75th Republic Day, the government has announced to give Shaurya Chakra to Assistant Commandant Vibhor Singh for his exceptionally courageous act.

Courage and bravery of Vibhor Singh:
This is the incident of 25 February 1922. The place was Chhakarbandha forest in Aurangabad, Bihar where CRPF had launched an operation against Naxalites.Troops were preparing for a counter-attack by the Naxalites under the leadership of Assistant Commandant Vibhor Singh of CRPF’s 205 CoBRA Battalion. Meanwhile, Vibhor Singh got hit by the bomb blast. Badly injured Vibhor Singh had lost a leg but neither left the field nor his rifle. Even during this time, he kept the morale of his comrades boosted so that the anti-Naxal campaign did not weaken.

 After this the security forces were successful in driving away the Naxalites. But under these circumstances Vibhor Singh  bled profusely which was a life threatening kind of situation . Assistant Commandant Vibhor Singh could be evacuated from there after several hours. Later he was also brought to Delhi but his other leg also could not be saved. Therefore, doctors had to amputate both Vibhor Singh’s legs below the knees.

Demand for respect:
There was a demand on various forums to give due respect to this act of  courage  and bravery shown by  Assistant Commandant Vibhor Singh. His senior officers had also recommended the same but was turned down . As soon as the report of the Court of Inquiry Committee came in this case, the then Inspector General of Bihar Sector of CRPF had recommended Vibhor Singh to be honored for his bravery. After this, in September 2022, a campaign was launched on change.org with a public petition on the internet.

What is Shaurya Chakra:
Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for gallantry, courageous action or self-sacrifice without engaging in direct action with the enemy. This peacetime honor can be given to civilians as well as military personnel. Sometimes it is also awarded posthumously. Shaurya Chakra is at third place in the order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards, which comes after Ashoka Chakra and Kirti Chakra.

History of Shaurya Chakra:
The Shaurya Chakra was instituted by the President of India on 4 January 1952 as an award of “Third series of Ashoka Chakra”, which became effective from 15 August 1947. The rules were revised and the decoration was renamed on 27 January 1967.

Earlier,  Shaurya Chakra was given only to military personnel. Since July 1999, it is also being given to any citizens in all walks of life, apart from members of police forces and recognized fire services.