Assistant Commandant Assistant Commandant is a title often given to the second-in-command of a military, uniformed service, training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations, and in some countries it may be a military or police rank. ...

Pramod Kumar Satapathy, AC was a Police Officer of the Special Operation Group of Odisha Special Armed Police, which comes under India's

Odisha Police The Odisha Police abbreviated as either OP or OPS, is the law enforcement agency for the state of Odisha in India. It is headquartered in Cuttack, the former capital of Odisha. The Odisha Police is headed by a Director General of Police, curren ...

who was awarded India's highest peace time gallantry award

Ashoka Chakra Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...

. On the night of 15 February 2008, about 500 armed naxalites attacked the police at various locations in and around

Bhubaneshwar Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

, India. On hearing this news, Shri Satapathy along with just 20 available police personnel reached inside the jungle in

Nayagarh Nayagarh is both a town and the municipality headquarters of the Nayagarh district in the Indian state of Odisha. Geography Nayagarh is located at with an average elevation of 178 metres (584 feet). It was the Rukhi mountain to the south ...

and launched an assault on the hiding militants. In the ensuing encounter, Shri Satapathy bravely led the operations but ultimately got killed in action.

Ashoka Chakra awardee

For this act of courage, the President of India posthumously awarded him with the

Ashok Chakra Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...

on Republic Day, 2009. The official citation for the

Ashoka Chakra Award The Ashoka Chakra (alternative spelling: Ashok Chakra) is India's highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra ( ...

reads:

References

2008 deaths Year of birth missing Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration) Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Odisha Police Indian police officers killed in the line of duty Ashoka Chakra {{India-bio-stub