Vinod Chaubey

Vinod Kumar Choubey, KC was an Indian Police Service officer of 1998 batch who was killed in an encounter with naxalites in the Rajnandgaon ambush on July 2009.^[1] Choubey was posthumously awarded with peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra.^[2][3]

Early life

Choubey was born to Dwaraka Prasad Choubey a senior journalist who worked for a Nagpur-based English daily before starting his own newspaper, Bilaspur Times.Choubey was lecturer of chemistry at the CMD Girls College in bilaspur before joining the state police service of undivided Madhya Pradesh as a deputy superintendent in 1983. In 1996, he was selected for the Indian Police Service. ^[4]

Police career

Choubey served as Superintendent of Police in the districts of Balrampur, Raipur, Surguja, North Bastar before being posted as Superintendent of Police, Rajnandgaon. Being posted at District Balrampur in 2003, he had been shot at and injured by Maoists in Balrampur, bordering Jharkhand. Later, as SP, Kanker, he survived a Naxalite ambush in the state's tribal Bastar region.^[4] He received President's medal for distinguished services in 2003. Choubey is known to have unearthed a naxal urban network in the cities of Raipur and Bhilai in 2008 which led to several arrests and confiscation of arms. As a result of these actions it is claimed that he was one considered a major threat by the insurgents and thus was a top priority target.^[5] He is the only Indian Police Service officer in the state of Chhattisgarh to have lost his life to naxal violence.

Exposure of naxal urban network

He played a pivotal role in the exposure of the naxal urban network in the towns of Raipur, Bhilai and Durg. In an interview, the naxal spokesperson Gudsa Usendi said "he had an important role in the arresting our town organizers in Raipur- Bhilai", "Particularly he had arrested one of our comrades Sumit, lured him to become approver and arrested many of our comrades through him". In the book titled 'Let's call him vasu' describes his acts as "the first real attempt at espionage by the police". Further in the interview, Gudsa Usendi says that due to these arrests that he was targeted in a fool proof plan and these events ultimately led to the ambush that claimed his life.^[6]

Rajnandgaon ambush

While posted as Superintendent of Police, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh on 12 July 2009 he received a message that naxalites have attacked Madanwara outpost of PS Manpur, District Rajnandgaon and killed two policemen. He left for the spot along with his force. En route, his carcade was fired upon by naxalites injuring his driver. Choubey then took control of the vehicle and took the injured driver to safety. After regrouping and clearing fresh road blocks set up by naxalites he arrived at the spot where a fierce encounter ensued. He then counterattacked from his position which hit the naxalite right flank thus forcing them to pull back. A transport bus of civilians which had entered amidst the ambush was also rescued to safety. About 300 naxalites came from the forest firing fiercely. Many climbed up the trees and threw grenades incessantly at the police party. Police was caught in a precarious situation and were exposed in the open without any cover. Choubey then decided to make a dent in the naxal attack, and moved from his position and sprang towards the naxalites in the trenches 10 meters away and fired at them but has hit by a bullet and finally succumbed to his injuries.^{[1] [5][7][8][9][10]}

Awards

Choubey is the first and only police officer in the state of Chhattisgarh to have received the peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra.^[2][3]

Ranjana Chaubey, wife of late Vinod Choubey receiving Kirti Chakra (Award) from President of India on her husband's behalf.

References

See also

Rajnandgaon ambush