Two CRPF jawans from Jammu and Kashmir, who were killed in action in Pulwama last year, were posthumously awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG), the country’s highest police gallantry medal, on the eve of Independence Day.
The government announced service decorations for a total of 942 State police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel on the occasion. CRPF Constable Sharief-ud-din Ganaie from Budgam and Head Constable Mohd Tafail from Rajouri districts of J&K were killed fighting three terrorists who had stormed the under-construction CRPF camp at Lethpora in Pulwana on December 31, 2017. They were decorated with the PPMG posthumously even as 89 other personnel from the force were awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry for undertaking dare-devil action in militancy-affected J&K and anti-Maoist operations in various States.
Ganai and Tafail were killed fighting three terrorists who had stormed the under-construction CRPF camp at Lethpora in Pulwana in the early hours of December 31, 2017. It took more than 30 hours to end the operation as two of the terrorists had entered the two buildings and CRPF personnel made room-interventions to extricate the people stuck there.
This is the highest-ever gallantry medals tally for the CRPF till date, a senior official said.
The CRPF was followed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, that has been accorded 37 PMG, Odisha Police (11), Border Security Force (10), Maharashtra Police (8) and Chhattisgarh Police (6). A total of 177 PMG have been awarded this time, a government release 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.