The Centre on Wednesday announced service medals to a total of 901 police and paramilitary personnel on the eve of the Republic Day, 2023.
“A total of 901 Police personnel have been awarded Police Medals on the occasion of the Republic Day, 2023. The Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) has been awarded to 140, the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service (PPM) to 93 and Police Medal for Meritorious Service (PM) has been awarded to 668,” the Union Home Ministry said in a statement.
Among the majority of the 140 gallantry awards, 80 personnel from Left Wing Extremism or Naxal-affected areas and 45 personnel from Jammu and Kashmir region are being awarded for their gallant action, it said.
Among the personnel receiving Gallantry Awards, 48 are from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the maximum among all the forces, 31 are from Maharashtra, 25 are from Jammu and Kashmir and Kashmir police, nine from Jharkhand, seven are each from Delhi, Chhattisgarh and BSF and the remaining from the other States/Union Territories and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) of armed forces of the Union.
The Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) is awarded on the grounds of Conspicuous Gallantry in saving life and property, or in preventing crime or arresting criminals. The President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service (PPM) is awarded for a special distinguished record in Police Service and the Police Medal for Meritorious Service (PM) is awarded for valuable service characterized by resource and devotion to duty. No President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG), the top category of bravery decorations among the police forces, has been awarded.
A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan who "overpowered" his armed colleague after the latter allegedly killed four personnel at a power plant located in Bihar in 2017 has been awarded the police medal for gallantry on the occasion of 74th Republic Day.
Officials said this is one of the rare times when a PMG has been given to a personnel who showed courage to end a fragging incident. Head constable (HC) Rajesh Singh was posted at the Nabinagar Power Generation Company Ltd (NPGCL) in Bihar's Aurangabad district on January 12, 2017 when his fellow constable Balveer Singh allegedly opened fire from his rifle and killed four colleagues.
Constable Balveer Singh reached the roof top of the new barracks in the campus and was "challenged" by Rajesh Singh, who was unarmed, the CISF said in a statement.
"Knowing that constable Balveer Singh was in a fit of rage and had a deadly assault weapon with him and it could result in loss of his life, Rajesh Singh with sheer sense of determination and to save human lives, confronted Balveer Singh and snatched the INSAS rifle and threw it, thus disarming him," the force said.
He also overpowered constable Balveer Singh and pinned him to the ground, who was later handed over to the local police, the CISF said. Rajesh Singh's "act of valour and courage" saved many precious lives, at a time when others were running to save their lives, the CISF said.
The PMG, his citation said, is being awarded for his "conspicuous gallant action, courage and devotion to duty during major indiscriminate firing incident while he was posted at CISF unit NPGCL Nabinagar at the time of incident."
The CISF unit is deployed at the NPGCL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited, to provide it with anti-terror cover from Maoists and similar extremist elements.
Head constable Rajesh Singh is currently posted at the CISF unit that guards the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow.