Maharashtra Police Honored with Gallantry Medals for Valour in Naxal Encounter
Mumbai: Seven Maharashtra police personnel will be awarded gallantry medals, three will receive the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, and 39 will be honored with the Medal for Meritorious Service on Independence Day, an official said on Thursday.
The Centre announced service medals for 1,090 police personnel from various central and state forces on the eve of Independence Day. According to a Union Home Ministry statement, 233 personnel have been awarded the Medal for Gallantry (GM), 99 personnel have received the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM), and 758 have been decorated with the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) nationwide.
The Police Medal for Gallantry will be given to seven personnel, including one posthumously, for their valour in an encounter against Maoists at Hemalkasa-Karampalli Road in the state’s Gadchiroli district, an official said. The seven honorees are Assistant Inspector Netaji Bandgar, Assistant Sub Inspector Manohar Mahaka, and Constables Manohar Pendam, Prakash Kannake, Atul Yegolpawar, Hidayat Khan, and Suresh Telami, who was martyred in the encounter.
Anil Kumbhar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) of Mumbai Police; Navinchandra Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police, Nagpur City; and Rajendrasingh Gaur, Assistant Commissioner of Police, have been awarded the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service.
The Medal for Meritorious Service has been conferred on Deputy Inspector General of Police Pramodkumar Shewale, ACP Dattatray Dhole, Sanjay Chandkhede, Shailendra Dhiwar, Jyoti Desai, Rajan Mane, Kailas Pundkar, and Narendra Hiware. Police Inspector Deepakkumar Waghmare, Ravindra Vani, Satyawan Mashalkar, Police Sub-Inspector Sandeep Shinde, Sandeep More, and Joseph Dsilva have also been selected for the police medal for meritorious services.
The medal for gallantry is awarded on the grounds of a rare and conspicuous act of bravery, in saving life and property, or in preventing crime or in arresting criminals. The President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM) is awarded for a special and distinguished record in service, while the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) is awarded for valuable service characterized by resource and devotion to duty.
