NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh police aced the police medals tally this Republic Day eve, winning 95 of the total 797 police medals awarded for gallantry, distinguished service and meritorious service.
The 33 gallantry medal winners from UP, 17 of whom are from the police and 16 from fire services, include personnel of its special task force (STF) who were involved in operations to neutralize some top gangsters and criminals. Among them, Ameet and Angad Singh Yadav were awarded for a 2021 operation that had led to the elimination of gangster Deepak Verma, wanted for many cases of murder and extortion.
This is for the first time since 2021 that a state police will be conferred the highest number of police medals. On all other occasions of Republic Day and Independence Day since August 15, 2021, when the Jammu and Kashmir police landed the biggest haul of 272 police medals, the CRPF had been at top of the police medals table.
A total 942 personnel of various state police, Central paramilitary and police organisations, fire services, civil defence and correctional services were named for different categories of medals on Republic Day eve 2025. Among the 942 medal-winners, 95 were honoured for gallantry (GM), who included 78 police personnel and 17 fire-fighting personnel; while 101 were conferred President’s medal for distinguished service (PSM) and 746, medal for meritorious service (MSM).
Acts of bravery in J&K theatre and Left-wing extremism areas won the police personnel 28 medals each, while 3 personnel were honoured for actions in the northeast. Seven J&K police personnel including former Kashmir zone Inspector General of Police (IGP) and now Delhi Police’s special commissioner Vijay Kumar, were named for gallantry medal for averting a possible terror attack on Amarnath yatra three years ago.
After UP police with highest 33 gallantry medals, CRPF is next with 19 gallantry medals, J&K police with 16, Chhattisgarh police with 11, Odisha police with 6, BSF with 5, SSB with 4 and Assam Rifles with 1. Four personnel, including CRPF constable Sunil Kumar Pandey who was stabbed to death in 2023 while chasing bike-borne drug peddlers in Tinsukia, Assam, and BSF head constable Girjesh Kumar Uddey killed in an ambush by militants in Tripura in 2022, were named for gallantry medals posthumously.
In terms of services, 797 medal-winners are from the police forces, 59 from the fire services, 46 from home guards and civil defence and 40 from correctional services.
Delhi Police personnel were named for 3 President’s medals for distinguished service and 17 medals for meritorious service.
This is the second time in the past six months that UP police has bagged 17 gallantry medals; on Independence Day eve last year, it had won a total 89 police medals, which included 17 for gallantry. Prior to that, it had won 8, 1, 5 and 2 gallantry medals of R-Day in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, as compared to 69, 30, 48 and 65 won by CRPF respectively.
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