Among recipients of Home Minister’s medal, 4 cops who probed Northeast Delhi riots

Inspector Joshi, now posted with EOW, told The Indian Express, “Ensuring on ground deployment at spots prone to communal violence was key in handling the situation...”

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DCP (Central) Sanjay Kumar Sain; (right) Inspector Tanvir Ashraf are among the recipients (Express File Photo)

Of the 140 police officers conferred the Union Home Minister’s medal for Excellence in Investigation Saturday are four from the Delhi Police.

Among them is DCP (Central) Sanjay Kumar Sain. In 2021, he took over as DCP (Northeast) and oversaw investigation and evidence gathering of the 2020 riots cases.

“As investigation into cases was going haywire and courts were being critical of our functioning, we introduced a four-tier system. Under this, four cells were created — a thana riot cell; a riot cell at the district level; a review cell, headed by a retired ACP; and a pairvi cell to inspect court orders and ensure compliance. This ensured cross-checking and corroboration of evidence,” said Sain.

He led a team to probe riots cases that included Inspector Pramod Joshi, then SHO of Gokalpuri police station, among the severely affected areas; Assistant Sub-Inspector Gajraj Singh and Inspector Tanvir Ashraf, then posted with Northeast district’s legal cell. All three are recipients of the award.

Inspector Joshi, now posted with EOW, told The Indian Express, “Ensuring on ground deployment at spots prone to communal violence was key in handling the situation…”