J&K Police top national gallantry award list with 127 medals

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday bagged the highest number of Gallantry Medals in the country on the occasion of Independence Day 2025, with 127 personnel being honoured for their exceptional bravery, the Ministry of Home (MHA) said.

Out of the 233 Gallantry Medals announced this year, 152 security personnel from the union territory have been recognised for their gallant actions.

The MHA said among the 152 personnel, the J&K Police top the list with 127 awards, followed by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and other security forces.

The Home Ministry said that this year, a total of 1,090 personnel from police, fire, Home Guard & Civil Defence, and Correctional Services across the country have been awarded Gallantry and Service Medals.

These include 233 Medal for Gallantry (GM), 99 President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM), and 758 Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM).

Of the Gallantry Medal awardees, 54 personnel are from Left Wing Extremism-affected areas, 152 from J&K, three from the Northeast, and 24 from other regions.

Of the gallantry award medals, Sujit Kumar, IGP (Security & Crime) J&K, has been awarded the President’s police medal for gallantry for showing exceptional courage, bravery and presence of mind.

The J&K Police have been in the forefront of fighting armed violence, aided and abetted by Pakistan since 1990.

This police force had made huge sacrifices fighting terrorism. Despite grave danger to their lives and family, the J&K Police remained steadfast in bringing order and restoring respect for the law in the union territory, where terrorists dictated the course of daily life by calling for protests and hartals each time life seemed to pick up pace here before the abrogation of Article 370.

J&K Police have fought alongside and with the support of the Army and the CAPFs to restore normalcy.

IANS