On the eve of the 71st Independence Day, braveheart CRPF commandant Chetan Cheeta, who fought valiantly with terrorists in Kashmir and miraculous survived his fatal injuries and another CRPF commandant Pramod Kumar, who lost his life battling in Kashmir, were awarded the Kirti Chakra, the second-highest gallantry award in peace time. Army's Major David Manlun and Havildar Giris Gurung, both posthumously, and Major Preetam Singh Kunwar were also awarded Kirti Chakra. This apart, as many as 17 soldiers from Army and paramilitary were also awarded Shaurya Chakra for their valiant services to the country, while 989 other central and state police forces personnel got various service medals.
An IPS officer and Haryana Inspector General (IG) Anil K Rao has been named for the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) for leading his men to arrest Sant Rampal from his ashram after an about two-week standoff in 2014 in the Hisar district.
CRPF Commandant Pramod Kumar was killed in an encounter with terrorists at Nowhatta Chowk in Srinagar soon after he unfurled the national flag at his camp on August 15 last year and rushed to help his troops who were engaged by two armed foreign militants. Forty-four-year-old Kumar suffered a fatal bullet injury in his skull and succumbed to it, not before inflicting severe injuries on the militants.
Cheeta, Commanding Officer of the 45th CRPF battalion, was shot nine times during an operation against militants in the Hajin area of Kashmir Valley on February 14 this year. He made a miraculous recovery after suffering such fatal injuries. Cheeta, who hails from Rajasthan, bore the initial brunt of the militants when a joint team of the Army, CRPF and state police had laid siege following intelligence inputs that two foreign terrorists were hiding in the area.
The brave officer was initially taken to the base hospital in Srinagar where he was operated upon and given primary treatment, after which he was flown to the AIIMS Trauma Centre here.
On May 20, Havilder Gurung had sacrificed his life during an anti-terror operation in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. Despite being grievously injured, he charged at a terrorist and fired at him displaying extreme courage and dedication towards call of duty.
Major Manlun was killed during an encounter with militants in Mon district of Nagaland on June 6. He was a role model for his colleagues as he always led from the front, the Army said in a release. Major Kunnwar was awarded for showing grit and determination during an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir on May 25 during which he had killed three dreaded terrorists.
The maximum personnel, 53 out of the total 190, named for the bravery medals are from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the lead force for anti-Naxal operations in the country. The country's largest paramilitary was followed by Andhra Pradesh Police (52), Jammu and Kashmir Police (25), Odisha Police (17) and the Border Security Force (14) in winning the gallantry laurels in various internal security theatres.
The maximum of the gallantry medals, 142, were accorded to security forces undertaking operations against the Maoists in the left Wing Extremism (lWE) theatre followed by 40 medals for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Chhattisgarh Police platoon commander Shankar Rao (posthumously) is the lone recipient of the top President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) for leading his team in a fierce ambush with Naxals in April, 2015 in the worst lWE- violence affected district of Sukma in the state. Seven policemen were killed while 10 others were injured in this encounter, where the police estimates that about 35 Naxals were killed.Among the bravery award winners are six Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, five of them young in the service, and working in the lWE-affected states.
A six-member CRPF team that neutralised two foreign terrorists in the Nowhatta Chowk area of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir on August 15 last year has also been decorated with the PMG. Policemen of the J and K police and its elite Special Operations Group (SOG) have also been decorated for eliminating terrorists of various cadres during operations in the Kashmir valley, as per the list published by the Union Home Ministry on Monday.