CRPF gets max gallantry medals--2 Kirti Chakras, Shaurya Chakra, PPMGs

The Central Reserve Police Force, in the thick of anti-Naxal and counter-terrorism operations, has been decorated with a maximum of 47 gallantry medals, including two Kirti Chakras and a Shaurya Chakra, on the eve of the Republic Day.

Two slain CRPF jawans were decorated with the Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime gallantry medal of the country, and their company commander was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for displaying daredevilry in taking on heavily armed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Awantipora in Pulwama district in 2017.

Three men of the country's largest paramilitary force also became the only recipients of the top category Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) medal. Constables Mohd Yaseen Tali, Borase Dinesh Deepak and Jaswant Singh were decorated posthumously.

The three made the supreme sacrifice while placing an improvised explosive device (IED) to flush out terrorists holed up in a building. The militants had attacked the district police line in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on August 26, 2017. Eight security personnel, including four CRPF men, were killed in this attack.

The forces had neutralised three terrorists in this audacious pre-dawn attack.

Tali has been awarded for gallantry twice in the past as officials called him a commando with "raw grit and daring courage".

The military decorations (Kirti Chakra and Shurya Chakra) have been bestowed on constables Pradip Kumar Panda and Rajendra Kumar Nain, who were killed while fighting militants who stormed their camp in Awantipora, while their commander Assistant Commandant Zile Singh has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra, the third highest bravery decoration.

The three displayed exemplary bravery to thwart the deadly 'fidayeen' attack that was carried out on December 30, 2017, and went on for over 36 hours, an official citation said.

Three heavily armed terrorists were killed by the CRPF personnel after the gun battle ended.

Five troops of the force were also killed in this pre-dawn attack on the multi-acre camp that also serves as the training centre for jawans inducted for counter-militancy operations in the Kashmir Valley.

With a win of 47 medals, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has become the largest recipient of police gallantry medals this time amongst all the central police and paramilitary forces followed by 25 to the Jammu and Kashmir Police, 14 to the Chhattisgarh Police among others.