NEW DELHI: Two IPS officials are among the 97 winners of the Police Gallantry Medals announced by the government on the eve of the Republic Day celebration.
Out of these winners, about 52 medals have gone to those personnel who are either combating the Left-wing extremists in various states or have taken on militants and insurgents in J & K and the Northeast.
The 1992-batch IPS officer, Nalin Prabhat, was awarded gallantry medal for the second time.
He had conducted a daring operation in Kashmir valley’s Pulwama district in 2010 and eliminated the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Abu Atif, who masterminded the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) attack in Bangalore and the Rampur CRPF camp attack.
Young Chhattisgarh cadre IPS officer Ankit Garg was honoured with the bravery medal for spearheading anti-Naxal operations in Maoist hotbed of Dantewada. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans deployed extensively for anti-Maoist operations have not only been decorated with four of the top-notch President’s Police Medal for Gallantry out of the total seven in this category, but 14 others have got the medals for their contribution in similar action.
Constable Bhoop Singh of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was awarded posthumously for gallantry as he took on Naxals at the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border in January last year.
Another special mention in the list of bravehearts is of the BSF constable Jai Kishan, who in May last year fought and died before killing two intruders who had crossed the border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.