NEW DELHI – Anti-militancy operations in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir havegot the state police and the CRPF the lion’s share of 65 out of 107gallantry medals announced today, ahead of Republic Day.
As many as 38 J-K Police personnel have been named as awardees of thePolice Medal for Gallantry (PMG), followed by 35 personnel of the CentralReserve Police Force, out of which 27 have been given the honour foroperations in the Kashmir Valley.
The rest of the bravery medals won by the CRPF are for operations in theanti-Naxal theatre of Jharkhand. Out of the 107 total gallantry medalsannounced, seven have been given posthumously.
Police forces of Chhattisgarh (10), Maharashtra (7), Telangana (6) andDelhi Police (3) are among others who have been named as awardees of thePMG this time.
The PMG is the second highest police bravery medal followed by thePresident’s Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG). There were no awardees forthe PPMG this time. In all, the Union home ministry today declared that atotal of 795 police personnel have been named as awardees of various typesof medals.
This includes president’s police medal for distinguished service to 75personnel and police medal for meritorious service to 613 cops. “This yearfive officers from the Indian Police Service (IPS) will receive the policemedal for gallantry,” the home ministry said in a statement.
“Tighter norms have been used to select awardees for the president’s policemedal for distinguished service and police medal for meritorious servicethis year,” it said. In a departure from tradition, the maximum number ofsuch medals were awarded to the lowest ranks of policemen –Constables andHavildars — at 382, followed by 183 to the Assistant Sub-Inspectors,Sub-Inspectors and Inspector ranks, 116 to Deputy Superintendents of Police(DSP) and Assistant Commandant ranks and only 10 of these went to thesenior ranks of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and IG.
“The home ministry has made it a point to ensure that the lower ranks ofthe police forces get due recognition. The least medals went to the higherranks this year. It is bottom heavy this time,” a senior official said.Security forces, that includes the J-K Police and its Special OperationsGroup (SOG), the CRPF and the Army have been undertaking anti-militancyoperations in the Kashmir Valley as part of concerted efforts againstmilitant activities, especially after the killing of Burhan Wani in July,2016.
Over 200 militants have been killed in these operations during the lastyear alone in the Valley — the highest in the last seven years.