E-Paper
Gallantry medals for 17 UP cops, one civilian on I-Day
The list included a 2009 batch IPS officer Ajay Kumar Sahn and two PPS officers, including deputy superintendents of police Deepak Kumar Singh and Dharmesh Kumar Shahi
As many as 17 Uttar Pradesh police personnel and officers and one civil defence chief warden have been selected for the prestigious Gallantry Medals for bravery in the line of duty on the occasion of 79th Independence Day. These medals are awarded on the ground of rare conspicuous acts of gallantry and conspicuous acts of gallantry respectively in saving life and property or in preventing crime or arresting criminals.
The list included a 2009 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ajay Kumar Sahni, who is currently posted as deputy inspector general of Bareilly Range, and two Provincial Police Services (PPS) officers including deputy superintendents of police Deepak Kumar Singh and Dharmesh Kumar Shahi. Both are currently posted with the state elite agency Special Task Force (STF). Ten police officers and personnel are from STF out of total 17 GM awardees.
The UP cops are among most gallantry medals awardees after Jammu and Kashmir which has a total 127 GMs and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) that has 20 GM awardees in the list of 33 states and Union Territories as well as 20 special forces like Border Security Force, CRPF, National Investigation Agency, National Security Guards, Narcotics Control Bureau, Intelligence Bureau and others. Besides, six UP police officers have been awarded the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM) and 72 Medals for Meritorious Service (MSM).
IPS Ajay Kumar Sahni has been selected for the GM for his bravery in gunning down a notorious criminal Chand alias Kale in an encounter with the police while being posted as SSP, Meerut, on January 25, 2020. Chand was wanted in 39 cases and had a reward of ₹1 lakh on his head. He was involved in various crimes, including robbery and extortion. Chand was wanted in 39 cases registered against him in various police stations.
DSP Deepak Kumar Singh along with inspector Hemant Bhushan Singh and head constable Vinod Kumar has been awarded the GM for gunning down notorious criminal Vinod Kumar Upadhyay in a fierce encounter with STF team on January 5, 2024. Upadhyay was wanted in multiple cases and had a reward of ₹1,00,000 on his head. Over 45 cases, including extortion, robbery, and murder, were registered against Vinod Kumar Upadhyay.
DSP Dharmesh Kumar Shahi along with sub-inspector Yashwant Singh and head constable Neeraj Kumar Pandey was awarded GM for their bravery in gunning down a notorious contract killer associated with Bihar’s Shahabuddin’s gang in an encounter under Rasra police station limits of Ballia district on September 3, 2021. The deceased carried a reward of ₹1,00,000 on his head. He was involved in multiple crimes, including murder and loot, and had over 33 cases registered against him.
Similarly, STF sub-inspector Akshay Parveer Kumar Tyagi and two head constables Rajan Kumar and Mukesh Singh were awarded the GM for gunning down a notorious criminal Ajay alias Kalia in an encounter under Sector-20 police station limits of Gautam Buddh Nagar on July 7, 2021.
The deceased had a reward of ₹2 lakh on his head and was wanted in multiple cases of dacoity, robbery, and rape. He was involved in several crimes across different districts, including Palwal in Haryana, Aligarh, and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. The CBI was also probing Kalia’s role in the Bulandshahr gang rape with a 36-year-old woman and her teenage daughter in front of their family members while committing robbery with passengers on Delhi-Kanpur highway while crossing Bulandshahr on intervening night of July 29 and 30, 2016.
Another STF sub-inspector Pramod Kumar was awarded the GM for gunning down a notorious criminal Babloo alias Ganja under Tappal police station limits of Aligarh on July 2, 2020. Babloo was wanted in multiple cases of dacoity and robbery on the Yamuna Expressway and carried a reward of ₹50,000 on his head. He was affiliated with the Kalia gang, known for targeting vehicles on highways. Over 12 cases were registered against Babloo in police stations across Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Five other police personnel and officers who were awarded the Gallantry Medals included inspector Munish Pratap Singh Chauhan, who was also involved in an encounter with Ajay Kalia, sub-inspector Mukesh Kumar and head constables Arun Kumar and Tinkal, who were part of the police team involved in gunning down notorious criminal Vishal Chowdhary alias Monu, sub-inspector Dinesh Chandra and head constable Manoj Kumar.
Two ADGs, two DIGs among six PSM awardees
Six police officers, who have been awarded the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM), included additional director general rank IPS officers Killada Satya Narayan and Sanjeev Gupta, two deputy inspector general rank IPS officers Rajesh Kumar Singh and Kuldeep Narain and two sub-inspectors Awadh Narayan and Tara Chandra. One fire station officer Sushil Kumar has also been selected for the PSM.
