India

7 Maharashtra cops to get gallantry medals for Naxal encounter

The medal for gallantry is awarded on the grounds of rare conspicuous act of bravery, in saving life and property or in preventing crime or in arresting criminals.

Mumbai: Seven Maharashtra police personnel will be awarded gallantry medals, three will get the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and 39 the Medal for Meritorious Service on Independence Day, an official said on Thursday.

The Centre announced service medals for 1,090 police personnel of 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 awarded President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM) and 758 have been decorated with 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 are assistant inspector Netaji Bandgar, assistant sub inspector Manohar Mahaka, constables Manohar Pendam, Prakash Kannake, Atul Yegolpawar, Hidayat Khan as well as Suresh Telami, who was martyred in the encounter, the official said.

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, he informed.

Police Inspector Deepakkumar Waghmare, Ravindra Vani, Satyawan Mashalkar, Police Sub-Inspector Sandeep Shinde, Sandeep More, Joseph Dsilva have also been selected for the police medal for meritorious services.

The medal for gallantry is awarded on the grounds of rare conspicuous act of bravery, in saving life and property or in preventing crime or in arresting criminals.

PSM is awarded for special distinguished record in service and MSM for valuable service characterised by resource and devotion to duty.

This post was last modified on August 14, 2025 10:56 pm

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Press Trust of India (PTI) is India’s premier news agency, having a reach as vast as the Indian Railways. It employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.

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