Independence Day: 948 security officers awarded medals for bravery

A total of 948 central and state forces police personnel were today awarded gallantry and other service medals on the eve of Independence Day.

The top honour of Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) has been given to three Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel for thwarting terrorist attacks at Indian Consulates at Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad in Afghanistan early this year.

One PPMG has also been given to CRPF Inspector Gulam Nabi Bhat and an official of the Intelligence Bureau and three policemen from Telangana for undertaking daring operations.The Central Reserve Police Force has yet again been decorated with the maximum of these bravery medals at 43, majorly for their operations in the Left Wing Extremism affected states.

The country’s largest paramilitary force has got the most bravery awards among all police forces in the country for the last over seven years now.

The list of braves also include three Home Guard jawans who laid down their lives in the line of duty during terrorist attack in Punjab’s Dinanagar police station last year on July 27.

Also, four fire service personnel from Maharashtra who died while combating a massive inferno in Mumbai last year have been decorated with the Presidents gallantry medals.

“President’s Police Medal for Gallantry has been awarded to seven personnel, Police Medal for Gallantry to 170 personnel, President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service to 88 personnel and Police Medal for Meritorious Service to 683 personnel.

“Nineteen personnel on the occasion of Independence Day, 2016 have also been awarded including President’s correctional service medal for distinguished service to two personnel and correctional service medal for meritorious service to seventeen personnel,” a Home Ministry statement said.

Police personnel who have been awarded the PMG include 24 from Telangana, 16 from Odisha, ten from Maharastra, eight from Jharkhand, nine each from Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, among others.