4 CISF men in '12 stand against 200 Naxals get gallantry award

 Four CISF personnel who fought off an attack by a group of about 200 Naxals on an industrial installation in Jharkhand are among 35 members of the force who have been decorated with Independence Day police medals.

The four brave officers -- Inspector Ashok Kumar Rai, Sub- Inspector JB Yadav and Constables Uttam Basumatary and Kulodhar Das -- were part of a small contingent of 26 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel guarding the Central Coalfields Ltd's Kargali campus in Jharkhand's Bokaro on the night of March 4, 2012 when the ultras struck.

At midnight, the citation states, a squad of 200-odd Maoists launched an attack aided by heavy firing on the North Karanpur and Piparwar side of the CCL installation with an aim to breach and loot the premises.

The four personnel, who have been awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG), engaged the Naxals with tactical firing for close to six hours and ensured their retreat without any damage to the installation or the people present inside.The operation ended with the recovery of the bodies of two rebels along with a huge cache of ammunition.

The personnel have been honoured for displaying conspicuous gallantry keeping in mind the overall security of the men and assets at the large coal unit.

Another 31 officials of the force, tasked with securing the country's major civilian airports and iconic landmarks, have also been awarded with distinguished, meritorious and fire service medals for the 68th Independence Day.