New Delhi, July 5: A constable of Gujarat police who saved a Muslim family during the riots in 2002 was among more than 80 award winners given medals by the President here today.

B.B. Rathwa, a head constable, risked his life on March 5 at Malu village in Chhota Udepur block to save seven members of a Muslim family. He drove to the village in a police jeep after a distress call from the family, which was being chased by a mob.

While driving through Bhilpur village on the way to a camp for refugees, the vehicle was surrounded by a violent mob of more than 250 tribals armed with bows, arrows and other weapons.

Rathwa had two homeguards and three constables with him, but they fled when the attackers closed in on them.

Rathwa was assaulted but still staved off the mob which was trying to set fire to the vehicle. He was hit on the head but went down only after his rifle was snatched as he began losing consciousness. One of the rioters shot him through the thigh with his rifle. But three of the seven persons he was escorting managed to flee and the other four survived with injuries.

Rathwa was awarded the Shaurya Chakra, a gallantry award, for “displaying presence of mind and conspicuous bravery of high order”.

The gallantry awards were announced on Republic Day this year and were given at an investiture in Rashtrapati Bhavan today.

As many as 21 awards were given posthumously. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam walked up to the widows, fathers and mothers of the recipients who were killed in action with the army, the Border Security Force and the police and gave away the medals.

In a rare gesture, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the father of a gallantry award-winning constable of Jammu and Kashmir police, who was killed while fighting militants, whether the state could do something for him, adds PTI.

Ghulam Mohammed Dar of Pulwama district in south Kashmir was taken aback when the Prime Minister walked up to him to ask him about the condition of his family.

Dar, whose only son was killed during a mission by the Special Operations Group of the state police and was awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously today, told Singh that his family was going through a hard time.

Dar said he and his ailing wife had two daughters, one of whom was unmarried and has been trying for a job for the last two years. The Prime Minister, who spoke to Dar for nearly five minutes, assured him that something would be done.