PTI photo

NEW DELHI: The CRPF and J&K police have together bagged the lion’s share of police medals for gallantry announced this Independence-Day eve for anti-terrorist operations in J&K. While CRPF personnel have been awarded five Shaurya Chakras, two President’s police medal for gallantry (PPMG) and 57 police medal for gallantry (PMG) for acts of valour in the J&K theatre, J&K police personnel have been honoured with 37 PMGs, the highest for a state police.

The joint operations by CRPF, J&K police and the Army saw a record 213 terrorists being eliminated last year. Till July 22 this year, as many as 110 terrorists were killed in the state. Service decorations were announced on Tuesday for 942 state police and central para-military personnel. These include two PPMGs, 177 PMGs, 88 President’s police medal for distinguished service and 675 police medals for meritorious service.

Over 70% of the 179 PPMGs and PMGs went to the CRPF and J&K police combined. CRPF Head Constable A S Krishna, Constable K Dinesh Raja and Constable Prafulla Kumar, three of the five Shaurya Chakra awardees, were honoured for successfully repulsing an early morning fidayeen attack at Sumbal, Bandipora on June5, 2017.

The other two Shaurya Chakra awardees, deputy commandant Kuldeep Singh Chahar and head constable Dhanwade Ravindra Baban too foiled a similar fidayeen bid in the district police lines at Pulwama on August 26, 2017. Ravindra Baban was martyred in the fiercegunfight. The two PPMGs announced this I-Day have both gone to CRPF bravehearts — Constable Sharief-ud-Din Ganaie and Head Constable Taufail Ahmed — for successfully foiling a terror bid at the CRPF camp in Lethpora, J&K on December 30, 2017.

The two embraced martyrdom but not before eliminating all three terrorists. CRPF personnel also won 32 police medals for acts of valour in the left-wing extremism theatre. Among the central forces, CRPF leads the tally with 91 gallantry medals (two PPMGs and 89 PMGs), while BSF received 61 medals for gallantry, distinguished and meritorious services.

As for the state police, J&K is at the top of the table with 37 gallantry medals, followed by Odisha Police (11), Maharashtra Police (8), Chhattisgarh police (6), and Delhi Police & Meghalaya Police (5 each). Intelligence bureau personnel have won 34 medals for distinguished and meritorious service, CISF 26 such medals, BSF 51, CBI 30, NIA 3, NDRF 6, and SPG and NSG 4 each.

