CRPF officer from Manipur gets lone President's police medal for gallantry

CRPF officer Loukrakpam Ibomcha Singh, a commando of the Kashmir valley-based Quick Action Team, is the lone recipient of the President's police medal for gallantry announced on the eve of the Independence Day.

Singh, who hails from Manipur's capital Imphal, has so far received eight such decorations for gallantry. He joined the CRPF in 2013.

The 39-year-old officer was bestowed with the PPMG, the highest police gallantry award, for skillfully killing a terrorist holed up in a building in Kashmir on June 21, 2020, officials said.

The country's largest paramilitary force was also accorded with five military medals -- four 'Kirti Chakra' (all posthumously) and a 'Shaurya Chakra' -- making it a total 33 medals for the force that included 27 Police Medals for Gallantry.

"Out of these 33 medals, 20 were bestowed for gallantry in five operations conducted in Jammu and Kashmir while 13 medals were conferred on the bravehearts who displayed gallant action in four operations in Left Wing Extremism affected areas," the Central Reserve Police Force said in a statement.

Singh, assistant commandant of the QAT, has been awarded his second PPMG.

He has already been bestowed with six PMG, making him a distinguished and remarkable officer of the force having eight gallantry medals to his credit, it said.

Inspector Dilip Kumar Das, head constable Raj Kumar Yadava, constables Bablu Rabha and Sambhu Roy of the 210th battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action or CoBRA have been awarded the 'Kirti Chakra' posthumously for undertaking gallant action and displaying "unflinching courage" against Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on April 3, 2021.

Constable Mukesh Kumar Gamit of the 61st battalion of the CRPF was awarded the 'Shaurya Chakra'.

The Kirti Chakra is the second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry medals while the Shaurya Chakra is the third and these medals are given by the defence ministry. The PPMG and the PMG are given by the ministry of home affairs.

The CRPF with 3.25 lakh personnel is the lead internal security force of the country spearheading counter-terrorist and anti-Naxal operations in J&K and LWE affected states.

The CoBRA is a specialised unit under its command for undertaking specialised anti-Maoist operations.