The Remarkable Life and Legacy of Hemant Karkare
Hemant Karkare was a brave-hearted and upright officer. He served as a chief officer in the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (A.T.S.). He was involved in various bomb blasts investigation, such as Vashi, Thane, Panvel and Malegaon. He laid his life in the investigation of the blast in Mumbai in 2008. He was well-known for working in various sectors before joining the A.T.S. His keen dedication to his work has brought a great tribute to the nation.
Education Life and Career
Hemant Karkare was born on December 12th, 1954, in Maharashtra in the district of Nagpur. He was from a family of Karhade Brahmin. He did his schooling at Chittranjan Das Municipal Primary School in Wardha and continued his middle and high school at New English High School in Wardha. Later 1975, he graduated from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in Nagpur with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Soon as he completed his graduation, he served the National Productivity Council, the government of India and then the Hindustan Lever Limited. In 1982 he joined the I.P.S. as a member and later served for Research and Analysis Wing (R.A.W.) in Austria for about seven years. He then became the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (A.T.S.) chief in January 2008.
Cause of Death
Hemant Karkare was investigating the bomb blast case on September 8th, 2006, in Malegaon and September 29th, 2008, in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Many Muslims were arrested, stating they blasted the bomb with the Hindu names. He continued his investigation, and later in October 2008, Hemant Karkare arrested nearly eleven suspects who all were Hindus. Those people belonged to Hindutva organizations, which led to rumors spreading as Hindutva terror by the opposition parties. There was a huge protest from India’s Hindu committees and Hindu political parties.
Later on November 27th, 2008, around 9:45 pm, Hemant Karkare received a call about a terrorist attack in the station Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (C.S.T.). He rushed to the spot, but the operation was difficult as it was dark. They found two terrorists hiding near a red car, and they tried to capture the terrorists, but he started firing at the officer, which injured everyone. All four officers and three constables were there on the spot, and they took their vehicle towards the direction of the hospital, but before they could start, two terrorists neared the vehicle and started firing their AK-47s leaving everyone dead except one constable, who informed the situation to the headquarters, and later the bodies were recovered.
A Great Tribute to the True Indian
Hemant Karke, the best police officer in Maharashtra, was well-known for his honesty in the police circles. He was honored with the award of Ashoka Chakra for his courageous act. The whole of India mourned his death. The man behind protecting every Indian from all the terrorist activities had left us. Every Indian respected him for his truthfulness and bravery. His death is a great loss to India, leaving us all in misery.
📎 Related Articles
1. Wikipedia: Hemant Karkare
2. Wikipedia: Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur
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4. Wikipedia: Ashoka Chakra
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