We hand ourselves to God in times of distress. But in India even gods need to be taken care of and preserved under immense security, as is the case with Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh
We hand ourselves to God in times of distress. But in India even gods need to be taken care of and preserved under immense security, as is the case with Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
As the assistant commandant of the Central Reserve Police Force unit, manning the innermost ring of security, at one of the most communally sensitive sites in the country, Vizeto Tinyi had a great responsibility on his shoulders.
With just four years of experience in the force, Tinyi who had joined CRPF in 2001, the fidayeen attack on the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid on July 5, 2005 was both a test of character and his unshakable belief in the strength of his jawans.
The heavy security for the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid has been divided into various zones around the complex, denoted by different colours. Tinyi's unit was entrusted with red zone the inner most ring in which the temple complex is situated. The penultimate yellow zone was being manned by the Uttar Pradesh police force.
Tinyi was in his office on the fateful day when he heard gunshots and grenade blasts. Before he could come out to marshal his troops, five militants along with a human bomb were in the yellow zone. They came in a car, which was blasted at the periphery of red zone.
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Smiling assassin: Vizeto Tinyi receiving Shaurya Chakra from the then President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam |
The area is open like a huge ground and the indiscriminate fire by militants caught the troops by surprise. Tinyi did not care for himself and rushed to his troops. Quickly he took control of the situation and started coordinating the return fire by his troops.
He was in constant touch with his men over wireless. He deployed a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) to prevent the militants from entering the red zone. Soon, heavy fire erupted from both sides. Running from one post to another, marshalling his troops Tinyi was informed that the militants were covering a human bomb, which was headed towards the temple complex. He immediately rushed to his QRT men and ordered them to target the fidayeen. The militants were giving cover fire to the suicide bomber.
After a one-hour long operation, the QRT managed to kill the human bomb and later all the militants were gunned down too.
The operation, under the command of Tinyi, was completed with least casualties and brought the maximum number of decorations for the force.
Tinyi was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his exemplary leadership; nine men got President's Police Medal for Gallantry while 12 got Police Medal for Gallantry.
A cheerful personality, Tinyi hails from Dimapur, Nagaland. His family belongs to a tribe where nobody knew anything about uniformed forces before he joined the CRPF. Now, a deputy commandant Tinyi takes pride in the fact that he was able to inspire a number of his tribesmen to take up a career in forces.
Spy who saved usDeputy Commandant Vizeto Tinyi is a fan of cold war spy novel author Robert Ludlum. His favourite is the Bourne Ultimatum. Apart from reading, he enjoys playing all racquet games and is a champion badminton player. Tinyi was 1996-98 Delhi state taekwondo champion and believes that anything can be achieved by teamwork.
