Govt to strip erring cops of their medals

Medals are not forever. Police and security officials who discredit their force will be stripped of their President’s Police Medals and Police Medals.
Special task force of police positioning out side a school during search operation after the CRPF vehicle was attacked by militants at Pantha Chowk in Srinagar on Saturday. | PTI
Special task force of police positioning out side a school during search operation after the CRPF vehicle was attacked by militants at Pantha Chowk in Srinagar on Saturday. | PTI

NEW DELHI: Medals are not forever. Police and security officials who discredit their force will be stripped of their President’s Police Medals and Police Medals.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked security organisations for a list of such ‘unworthy’ officers. The letter with the subject line ‘withdrawal/ forfeit of the President’s Police and Police Medal’ has sought immediate compliance from states, Union Territories and police bodies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence Bureau and the paramilitary forces.

New Delhi: The Central government is planning to withdraw medals from decorated police officials who have been found to be ‘unworthy’.
“All states/UTs/ CAPFs/CPOs/security organisations are advised to strictly adhere to the guidelines and the cases covered under the circumstances mentioned in para 2, and must forward with specific recommendations to this ministry immediately for appropriate action,” a letter from the Ministry of Home

Affairs to all states, UTs and police orgnisations written last month said.
Now, states, UTs and forces have to prepare their list of ‘unworthy’ officers who have been convicted by any court of law for such an act or conduct involving moral turpitude, which brings the police force into disrepute, or is dismissed from the service for any other act on the ground of disloyalty, cowardice in action, etc as mentioned in para 2 of the letter. The notification detailing the guidelines for the awardees was first issued in March 1951.

Recently, it came to the MHA’s notice that it was not informed by the state concerned and the organisation about a gallantry medal awardee, who was convicted and subsequently dismissed from the service in 2006. “This has been considered to be a serious lapse and needs to be avoided at all costs otherwise ineligible or unworthy officers will continue to be decorated with the prestigious gallantry medals,” MHA has said in its letter.

“Many officers have been found in misconduct but their force hasn’t intimated about it to the MHA. Despite having red entry in service records, they claim to be ‘decorated’. The issue was raised at a top-level MHA meeting, attended by various DGs,” a Director General-level officer told The Sunday Standard.
According to the prescribed format, all forces every year send recommendation with names of the officer, his/her bravery act and other details to the MHA for medals. After strict background check, the ministry prepares a list of the awardees.

The government can take back the medal even after the retirement of an erring official. This had happened in the case of former Haryana Police chief SPS Rathore who was convicted for molesting a teenager. After his retirement in 2010, the government had stripped him off his medal.
The President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service is awarded for long and distinguished service to individuals who have served at least 21 years in the police service or in the central police and security organisations. Individuals must be prior recipients of the Police Medal for Meritorious Service and must have held that medal for at least six years.

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