Srinagar, Oct 31, KDC: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vidhi Kumar Birdi, DIG Central Kashmir Pande Rajiv Omprakash, and SSP Srinagar G.V. Sundeep Chakraborty are among 20 officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Police who have been honoured with the ‘Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak’ by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for their outstanding performance in Operation Mahadev, a major counter-terror operation that neutralized three Pakistani terrorists, including the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack.
IGP Kashmir, DIG Central Kashmir, SSP Srinagar, SP Cargo Tanveer Ahmad Dar, and SP East Raja Zuhaib, as per Kashmir Dot Com, were specifically recognized for their exemplary leadership and operational excellence during the Dachigam encounter, in which the three Pakistani terrorists linked to the Pahalgam attack were killed. The operation, code-named Mahadev, was hailed as a high-intensity counter-terror success led by the J&K Police in coordination with other security agencies. Officials said the team demonstrated exceptional tactical precision and coordination, neutralizing heavily armed terrorists in challenging terrain while ensuring no collateral damage.
One of the slain terrorists, Sulieman alias Asif, was identified as the mastermind of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, carried out along with Jibran and Hamza Afghani. Notably, Jibran was also involved in the Sonamarg Tunnel attack in October 2024.
Security forces recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition, including one M4 carbine rifle, two AK rifles, and other munitions, during the operation.
Other awardees include SP Cargo Tanweer Ahmed Dar, SP Zoheb Tanveer, DSP Vikram Nag, DSP Mubashir Naiz, DSP Shakir Hassan, Inspector Taseer Hamid, SI Anchal Singh, SI Firoz Ahmad Dar, ASI Basharat Rasool Shah, ASI Mohammed Shafi, HC Javed Ahmed, HC Sandeep Khujuria, SGCT Varun Singh, SGCT Mehmood Khan, CT Suhail Abbas, and CT Basharat Qadir.
Officials described Operation Mahadev as a high-risk, precision-led counter-terror mission, crediting the coordinated effort of J&K Police teams in eliminating key operatives and safeguarding civilian areas. (KDC)
