King's Police Medal
So that was the end of the KPM. But I never knew through the powerful media of blogging, one day I would get to know more about my grand father's KPM and would actually see the citation written for the award of the KPM.
Generations: Top Left to Right: Father (Mohkam Din) - Son (Aziz ud Din Ahmad, KPM) - Grandson (Abdul Hameed Bhatti, PPM)
Centre Left to Right: Great Grandsons Gul Hameed Bhatti - Zaffar , Kamal, Jalal, Jamal Hameed Bhattis
Bottom Left to Right: Great Grandson (Jalal Hameed Bhatti) - Great-great grandsons (Waqaace and Wahaab Jalal Bhattis)
Bottom Left to Right: Great Grandson (Jalal Hameed Bhatti) - Great-great grandsons (Waqaace and Wahaab Jalal Bhattis)
On 16th October 2009, I wrote a post 'Generations' in which I explained my family tree tracing back to many centuries. And there when I arrived at my grandfather, I wrote:
My grandfather became city magistrate of Amritsar and was awarded with the prestigious King’s Police Medal in 1920s. It was a great loss that his hard earned medal was lost upon partition when my father and all his brothers migrated to Pakistan – and along with that we lost the graves of my ancestors in Patti, a small village then somewhere near Amritsar. And that brought a divide between my father’s ancestors and us with our father being the linchpin.While writing the post I had no idea what a surprise was waiting for me. Two years later on March 13, 2011, I received a message on Facebook by one Sadeev Gill from India and he wrote:
Hi my father read your blog Jaho Jalal and was impressed to know that your ancestors were decorated police officers. My father is writing a book on decorated police officers Punjab police (India & Pakistan . I appreciate it if you could send me your email address (which I would pass on to my father). Thanks - SadeevObviously, this was a great news for me that someone was writing about the police officers of the British India times and somehow I could know more about my grandfather's KPM. So I gave Sadeev my e-mail address and waited.
And then one day I received an email from Sadeev's father:
Dear Jalal Sahib, Salaam. My name is R. S. Gill and i am a retired police officer from Punjab Police ( India ). I am writing a book on decorated police officers of Punjab Police from 1860 to 2010. This will also cover the period of united Punjab, when India and Pakistan were one country ( 1860 - 1947 ). I was reading your highly interesting blog one day, when i came across your family background. I was impressed to know that both your respected father and grand father were highly decorated police officers, and both of them of them performed their duties with the highest dedication and honesty. I would like to include your grand father's biodata and photograph in my book, since he served in united Punjab. Kindly send me his photograph ( preferably in uniform ) and brief biodata, which should include : - (1) Full Name (2) Date of Birth (3) Date of Joining Punjab Police (4) Education (5) Award / Decoration Received (6) Date of Receiving Award / Decoration (7) Rank at time of Award / Decoration (8) Date of Retiring from Police (9) Rank at time of Retiring. If you do not have the full information, please send what ever you have. In case your father also served in united Punjab, please send his photo and biodata too. With regards, yours sincerely, R. S. Gill.
And thus began a series of mail exchange between me and Gill Sahib, who was to update me on everything that he could lay hands on that concerned my grandfather.
In one of his mails, he wrote:
My dear Mr. Bhatti, attached along with this letter is the preceding page of the London Gazette of 1st January 1920 which mentions the award of the King's Police Medal to your respected grandfather and others on that date. You don't have to thank me. Your thoughts and photographs are so noble and beautiful , that it's a pleasure to do something for you . With regards , R.S.Gill.
Then in one of his e-mails, he sent me the text of the citation for the award of KPM to my grandfather:
My Grandfather: Aziz ud Din Ahmad, KPM
On the 12th April 1919, information having been received that a mob was collecting to loot the Treasury at Tarn Taran, Inspector Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad first made preparations for the defence of the Treasury which contained over 3 lakhs. He then went with a small party of Police and dispersed the mob arresting two men.
Later on he investigated the case with great intelligence and energy and put up 97 men for trial, of whom 82 were convicted. His courage and initiative have been highly commended by Mr. Rudkin, O.B.E., I.C.S., District Magistrate, Amritsar, who tried the case, Mr. Rudkin remarked in his judgment “that the accused did not succeed in their object was due almost solely to the courage and initiative shown by Inspector Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad. If he had not had the courage and decision to move out against them, I think there is every likelihood that the small Police force would have overwhelmed. His conduct in warding off the attack and in the subsequent investigation is worthy of very high praise indeed, and I think that his services deserve tangible recognition by the authorities. The Inspector’s conduct deserves the more credit in that he had to act in defence of the Treasury without any assistance from the Magistrate on the spot, the Tahsildar.A few days later, he sent me the copy of the Punjab Gazette dated January 10, 1920. The Gazette showed the citation at serial 26 which is as under:
The priceless copy of Citation that earned my grand father the prestigious KPM |
So this closed the loop for me of something that has been on my mind since my childhood. I never knew then that one day the internet would be born, followed by blogging and social media networks like the Facebook which will bring to me a treasure of life time.
I am truly grateful to R.S.Gill for having dug out something about my grand father, his dedication to duty, foresight and courage in discharge of his duty that saved the state the Taran Taran treasury and its Rs. 300,000, which in 1920 was a huge amount of the day.
My grandfather was later promoted to Deputy SP, now a days called DSP, a post that he held till 1926. From 1926-1936, he switched over to the Punjab Civil Service (PCS) and it was here that became the honorary magistrate of Amritsar in some point tin time. My grand father died in 1936 and was buried in his ancestral graveyard in Patti, a town near Amritsar. My great great grand father, Mohkam Din, who was a Mukhtiarkar (like our Tahsildar) is also buried in the same graveyard.
My Father Abdul Hameed Bhatti, Superintendent of Police(R), PPM
My father also followed the footsteps of his father and joined Punjab Police as direct sub-inspector. He was instrumental in the formation of Intelligence Bureau (IB) after the formation of Pakistan and worked very closely with its first chief A.B. Awan. Later he was tasked to raise Interpol in Pakistan which he did so meticulously that he remained its head for twelve long years. He represented Pakistan Interpol in the ICPOA conference held in Paris in 1965. He was promoted to the rank of superintendent of police and was appointed additional SP of Rawalpindi, from where he retired in 1972. For his meritorious services, he was awarded the prestigious President's Police Medal.
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3 comments:
So as they say 'the communication' never fails you; and that is exactly what happened in this case. Good - that now you know the details and have the updated record with.........which off-course wouldn't have been possible without the sincere and noble assistance of Mr. R S Gill........Kudos to him......and you can ask him for yet another favor to help you visit the 'RESTING PLACES' of your ancestors. GOOD LUCK AND KEEP WRITING. Akhtar N Janjua
Thank you AKN for these valuable comments - yes I have been lucky that a blog post brought me the treasure of my life. I have already asked Mr Gill about the graves of my grandfather and great grandfather. May be someday he gives me the good news too.
Do not give up hope in finding the KPM awarded to your brave Grandfather, It may surface one day at an auction or dealers site.
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