Fighting terror: Jammu and Kashmir Police win 108 gallantry medals, CRPF 76

In recognition of their round the year stellar counter-terrorism operations, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has been honoured with 108 medals, the maximum number of gallantry awards on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day, followed by 76 won by the CRPF, said a government release on Saturday. The above two forces accounted for a 184 of the total of 290 police gallantry awards declared for 2020.

The 108 medals for the police force of the newly carved Union Territory also include three President’s Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG), the top most decoration.

Jammu and Kashmir police’s tally of gallantry medals is one of the highest in recent times won by a police force. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continued its tradition of sweeping the multi-theatre gallantry medals with 75 honours for its personnel this year including a PPMG (posthumously) for CoBRA commando Utpal Rabha.

Rabha declared “extraordinary valour” during an encounter with Maoists in Jharkhand in June 2018, before getting killed in the gunbattle.

CRPF’s Assistant Commandant Naresh Kumar has been honoured with a gallantry medal for a record sixth time. He was a member of the quick action team based in Srinagar, specialising in counter-terror operations. Kumar has served for five years in Kashmir and been involved in security operations that have led to the killing of more than 50 terrorists.

Director of Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, Atul Karwal was the other winner of the PMG for bravery displayed in a 2016 operation when he was the CRPF Inspector General (IG) in Kashmir.

“I also salute the families of personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty,” the CRPF Director General (DG) A P Maheshwari said.

Insurgency hit Jharkhand’s police was the next on the honour roll with 33 police bravery medals followed by 16 for Odisha, 12 for Delhi Police, 10 for Maharashtra, eight for Chhattisgarh, seven for Bihar, four for Punjab and two for Manipur.

Among the central forces, the Border Security Force (BSF) got nine PMG followed by four won by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and one by the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Overall, a total of 1,040 police medals have been declared on the eve of the Republic Day that includes 93 distinguished service medals and 657 meritorious service medals. These police bravery awards are declared biannually on the eve of the Republic Day and Independence Day.

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