Constable/Recruit Nitin Puttewar made the supreme sacrifice on 18 October 2001 while performing sentry duty at the CRPF Group Centre at Jharoda Kalan, New Delhi. Born on 19 June 1976, he came from Hinganghat in Wardha district, Maharashtra. He was still a recruit at the time of the incident and was assigned sentry duties at the campus.
During the night, an armed intruder approached the Group Centre boundary, taking advantage of darkness and the movement of families of force personnel near the gate. Nitin challenged the suspect. The intruder responded by opening fire with an automatic weapon, injuring the recruit. The attack unfolded rapidly, but Nitin did not remain silent or allow the incident to pass unnoticed.
Despite his injuries, he raised the alarm and alerted the camp. Personnel responded to the firing, and the intruder fled after the troops returned fire. A subsequent search did not locate the attacker at that time. The official gallantry citation records that the intruder’s weapon and ammunition were later recovered from a field in New Gopal Nagar.
Nitin Puttewar succumbed to his injuries. His prompt alarm helped alert the camp and prevented the attacker from continuing the assault against the hundreds of families living inside the campus. For his courage and exceptional presence of mind, he was awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry posthumously. His actions remain a powerful example of vigilance and devotion to duty, even when a recruit was facing an armed assailant without a firearm of his own.
