Republic Day: J&K Police gets max 108 gallantry medals, CRPF 76

The Jammu and Kashmir Police has bagged the maximum number of gallantry honours with 108 medals on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day, followed by 76 by the CRPF, according to an official communication on Saturday.

The tally for the Union Territory police, thickly involved in counter-terrorist operations in the Kashmir Valley, also includes three President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG), out of the total four of these top category decorations announced this time.

These numbers have enabled the J&K Police to win a lion's share of 108 medals out of the total 290 gallantry awards declared on the eve of the Republic Day, as per the Union Home Ministry.

It is one of the highest tally of gallantry medals won by a police force in recent times, a senior officer in the security establishment said.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) that is also deployed in the UT for counter-terror duties apart from being the lead force in anti-Naxal operations continued its streak of getting the largest multi-theatre gallantry medals as it has been decorated with 75 PMG and a PPMG (posthumously) for CoBRA commando Utpal Rabha.

Rabha was killed in an encounter with Maoists in Jharkhand in June, 2018 and his citation said he displayed "extraordinary valour" during the gun battle.

Other forces which have been decorated with the police bravery medal (PMG) include the state police units of Jharkhand (33), Odisha (16), Delhi Police (12), Maharashtra (10), Chhattisgarh (8), Bihar (7), Punjab (4) and Manipur (2).

Among the central forces, the Border Security Force (BSF) got nine PMG followed by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) 4, and one for the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Overall, a total of 1,040 police medals have been declared on the eve of Republic Day that includes 93 distinguished service medals and 657 meritorious service medals.

These police bravery awards are declared bi-annually on the eve of Republic Day and Independence Day.