Police Officers like Chittaranjan Patnaik should be posthumously honored in Official Gazette

Subhas Chandra PattanayakWe have developed legislative practice of paying obituary respect to police personnel breathing their last in action. Cremation with State Honor is not uncommon. But there are persons in Police like Chittaranjan Patnaik, who retire without succumbing to enemy power or Law breakers after rendering illustrious and exemplary service to the State. There is no respect for them as they silently pass away.

Chittaranjan Patnaik is one such Police Officer who passed away on May 18th fighting the pandemic as heroically as was possible within his command. Belonging by birth to Ex-State Athgarh, son of the arch light of Law in that Principality Chakradhar Patnaik, he was a younger brother of the illustrious journalist late Surit Ranjan Patnaik. But he was his own identity as an uniformed person.

Years ago, his colleagues who knew him intimately had felicitated him for his contributions to make Orissa a peaceful State.

There are some such unsung heroes in Police who deserve State Honor for their peacekeeping in the State.

I call upon the Chief Minister as well as the thinking brains in Police to honor these unsung heroes by at least mentioning them in Official Gazette befitting a grateful people.

Better late than never, the world says.