Police personnel who eliminated gangster Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad have been awarded with the President’s Gallantry Medal.

According to reports, six members of the STF team that gunned down Asad and Mohammad Ghulam in an encounter in Jhansi on April 13, 2023, received the President’s Gallantry Medal.

As many as 17 men of UP Police have received the President’s Gallantry Medal. The President’s Gallantry Medal was given to the team of Navendu Singh and Vimal Kumar Singh who had led the team involved in the encounter of Asad. Besides these officers, the other team members include inspectors Gyanendra Kumar Rai, Anil Kumar Singh, head constables Sushil Kumar and Sunil Kumar.

Asad and his accomplice, shooter Mohammad Ghulam, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Police near Jhansi. Asad was caught on CCTV when Umesh Pal was killed and had been on the run for the about 50 days, police said.

Asad and Ghulam, who were carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh each, tried to flee on a motorcycle, police had said. They opened fire at the Special Task Force team when it surrounded them and the policemen retaliated, they said, adding the two men were killed in the exchange of fire.

Facing flak over the brazen killing of Umesh Pal, a prime witness in the 2005 Bahujan Samaj Party MLA’s murder case, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on February 25 accused the Samajwadi Party of patronising mafias and vowed to destroy them. Atiq Ahmed, a former MP, and Ashraf, an ex-MLA, were shot dead by three gun-toting youths who raised religious slogans while opening fire and handed themselves over to the police afterwards.

According to an official communiqué,  Meharban alias Kallu, who was wanted in 31 criminal cases and had a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his arrest, was killed in an encounter in Bulandshahr district on the intervening night of August 17 and 18, 2019. Inspector Jitendra Kumar Singh, Sub-Inspectors Rakesh Kumar Singh Chauhan and Anil Kumar and head constable Hariom Singh were awarded the Gallantry medal in this encounter. Sub-Inspector Jitendra Pratap Singh and Constable Vipin Kumar were awarded for their bravery in an encounter with wanted criminal Praveen alias Baua Dubey in Etawah district on July 9, 2020.

According to the release, Praveen Dubey was a member of the gang of slain gangster Vikas Dubey and was involved in the attack on a police party in Bikru area of Kanpur on July 3, 2020, in which eight policemen were killed.

The release said that Inspector Rajeev Chaudhary, Sub-Inspector Jaiveer Singh, head constables Rais Ahmed and Arun Kumar and constable Ajay Kumar were honoured in connection with an encounter in Seohara area of Bijnor district on April 12, 2023. Aditya Rana alias Ravi, a criminal with a reward of Rs 2.50 lakh, was killed in this encounter.

Director General of Police Prashant Kumar congratulated the 17 policemen who received the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) and wished them a bright future.

A total of 213 gallantry medals have been awarded to security personnel serving in police, paramilitary forces, fire department, home guards and civil defence in various states of the country on the eve of Independence Day 2024.