I-day: CRPF gets max bravery honours; 942 policemen decorated

Two CRPF jawans from Kashmir who laid down their lives in the line of duty have been bestowed with country's top police gallantry medal --PPMG-- as the government today announced service decorations for a total of 942 state police and paramilitary personnel on the eve of the 72nd Independence Day.

Constable Sharief-ud-din Ganaie and Head Constable Mohd Tafail of the CRPF have been decorated with the President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) posthumously even as 89 other personnel from the force have been awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) for undertaking dare-devil action in militancy-affected Jammu and Kashmir and anti-Naxal operations in various states.

This is the highest-ever gallantry medals tally for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) till date, a senior official said.

The CRPF was followed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police that has been accorded 37 PMsG along with the Odisha Police (11), Border Security Force (10), Maharashtra Police (8), Chhattisgarh Police (6) among others.

A total of 177 PMsG have been awarded this time, a government release said.

"With counter-insurgency and militancy operations stepped up in the Kashmir valley, the maximum number of gallantry medals have come in this theatre for the forces. These operations are jointly conducted by the CRPF, the JK Police and its special operations group (SOG) and the Army," a senior official said.

As per the release issued by the Union Home Ministry, a total of 675 meritorious service medals and 88 distinguished service medals have been accorded to the police personnel this time.