What types of medals were awarded to personnel on Independence Day 2026?

A total of 1,057 personnel were awarded various medals including 301 Gallantry Medals, 92 President's Medals for Distinguished Service, and 664 Medals for Meritorious Service.

Why were Gallantry Medals awarded to police personnel posthumously?

Gallantry Medals were awarded posthumously to honor police personnel who displayed conspicuous acts of bravery in saving lives or preventing crimes, especially from regions affected by Left Wing Extremism and other challenging areas.

How does the Medal for Gallantry differ from the President's Medal for Distinguished Service?

The Medal for Gallantry is awarded for acts of bravery and saving lives, while the President's Medal for Distinguished Service recognizes a special record of distinguished service in the line of duty.

Independence Day 2026: 1,057 personnel awarded Gallantry and Service medals; three posthumously

Of the 1,057 awards, 301 awards are related to the Medal for Gallantry, 92 for President's Medal for Distinguished Service.

Published on: Aug 14, 2026, 18:04:40 IST

ANI

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A total of 1,057 personnel from the Police, Fire, Home Guard and Civil Defence and Correctional Services have been awarded Gallantry and Service Medals on the occasion of Independence Day, 2026 with declaration of names of three police personnel from Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh Police who were honoured with Gallantry Medals posthumously, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Friday.

Students hold the national flag during a full-dress rehearsal on the eve of the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on Friday, August 14, 2026. (PTI)

Chhattisgarh Police constables late Nitesh Ekka and late Ramesh Koreti, as well as Uttar Pradesh Police Inspector late Sunil Kumar, are among all hounoured with the gallantry medals posthumously.

Of the 1,057 awards, 301 awards are related to the Medal for Gallantry, 92 for President's Medal for Distinguished Service and 664 for Medal for Meritorious Service.

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Among the majority of the 301 Gallantry awards, 197 personnel are from Left Wing Extremism-affected areas, 51 from the Jammu and Kashmir region, 12 from the North-East, and 41 personnel from other regions are being awarded for their gallant action.

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Out of 301 Medals for Gallantry, 272 Police Personnel and 29 Fire Service personnel have been awarded GM, respectively. Medal for Gallantry is awarded on the ground of a conspicuous act of Gallantry in saving life and property, or in preventing crime or arresting criminals, the risk incurred being estimated with due regard to the obligations and duties of the officer concerned.

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Of the total 92 President's Medals for Distinguished Service, 83 have been awarded to police service, four to fire service, three to Civil Defence and Home Guard service and two to Correctional Service. Out of 664 Medals for Meritorious Service, 606 have been awarded to police service, 28 to fire service, 18 to Civil Defence and Home Guard service and 12 to correctional service.

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President's Medal for Distinguished Service is awarded for a special distinguished record in service, and the Medal for Meritorious Service is awarded for valuable service characterised by resource and devotion to duty.

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