Nearly a year after wanted criminal Bunty was killed in an encounter in the city comes a surprising revelation: Deputy Commissioner of Police (South district) HGS Dhaliwal was shot at during the encounter. Dhaliwal’s bullet-proof jacket reportedly proved saviour.

The fact emerged during the citation of the Police Medal for Gallantry, awarded to DCP Dhaliwal this Independence Day for his bravery during the Bunty encounter.

The citation by the Delhi Police states: “Dhaliwal personally led the team from the front and broke open the door (where Bunty was hiding along with his associate) and entered the room while crossfiring in the encounter continued — he fired three bullets and a bullet hit him in his midriff area, which penetrated the upper layer and got embedded in his bullet-proof jacket, due to which his life was saved.”    

When contacted, HGS Dhaliwal said they didn’t mention the fact after the encounter as they wanted to keep it ‘low-profile’.

Dhaliwal’s bullet-proof jacket was submitted as evidence. Assistant Commissioner of Police Bhisham Singh and Inspector Vijay Singh, who were part of the encounter, also received the award.

Sources said several senior Delhi Police officers were not aware of this fact till the citation was issued.

Bunty alias Om Prakash (30) and his associate Rakesh Sharma alias Panni (26) were gunned down in the encounter on August 25 in Jaitpur village near Badarpur. Bunty and his gang were involved in a series of robberies and murders, primarily in South Delhi areas.