Independence Day: Personnel serving in LWE-hit areas get most gallantry awards

Overall, 954 personnel from police forces of states, Union territories (UTs), central paramilitary and security agencies have been awarded police medals

Security personnel serving in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-hit areas have been awarded the bulk of 230 gallantry awards (125) followed by those in Jammu and Kashmir (71) and the Northeast (11) on the eve of Independence Day.

The LWE violence has been waning. (PTI)

The LWE violence, which the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009 called the greatest internal threat, has been waning even 10 police personnel and a driver were killed in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district in April in the worst attack on security forces in the insurgency-hit state since April 2021.

Overall, 954 personnel from police forces of states, Union territories (UTs), central paramilitary and security agencies have been awarded police medals.

The President’s Police Medal for Gallantry has been awarded to a paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, and 229 other police officers. President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service has been awarded to 82 and Police Medal for Meritorious Service to 642 officers.

The awards are given for gallantry in saving life and property, or in preventing crime or arresting criminals as well as for distinguished record and valuable service.

Twenty-eight personnel from the CRPF, 33 from Maharashtra, 55 from Jammu and Kashmir, 24 from Chhattisgarh, 22 from Telangana, and 18 from Andhra Pradesh Police have been decorated with gallantry awards. The remaining are from the other police forces of states, UTs, and Central Armed Police Forces.