New Delhi:- CRPF again topped the list of gallantry medals, on the eve of Independence Day, 2013, by winning 34 gallantry medals including 1 PPMG and 33 PMG.
Late Constable Mahadev Minj of 2nd Battalion won the PPMG posthumously for his conspicuous act of bravery shown in naxal hotbed of Sukma, Chhattisgarh, Sh P.R.Mishra, Dy. Commandant of 203 COBRA won PMG for the fourth time for an act of distinguished bravery shown in district Chatra and neutralizing a top naxal commander.
Five (05) officers and men also won the coveted President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service whereas 58 officers and men won the Police Medal for Meritorious service.
Among the PMG winners, Sh P.R.Mishra, Dy Commandant of 203 COBRA was awarded the "Police Medal for Gallantry” for the fourth time. Upon an actionable intelligence that a very senior and dreaded naxal leader (Regional Commander and Bihar Regional Military Commission member ) Ajay Ganju was coming to his home at village Lakarmanna, PS- Kunda, district – Chatra, to meet his family members, Sh P.R.Mishra, Dy. Comdt 203 CoBRA, devised a plan to intercept him.
The troops, under his command, traversed a distance of 20 kms on foot, from Kunda. Despite pitch darkness, tough terrain, bushes, nallahs and heavy rains, the troops moved very swiftly and reached the village in the dead of night.
As they approached the house, they came under heavy fire from the surrounding jungle. When Dy. Commandant P.R.Mishra saw a person running towards the jungle, he with his men closed in on the naxal. The naxal turned back and fired from point blank range, but the bullets missed them.
They fired upon the fleeing naxal and he was killed on the spot, later identified as the dreaded Ajay Ganju@Paras at Fagu, carrying a reward of Rs. 7 lakhs on his head, with over 100 cases in different police stations of Bihar and Jharkhand.
In addition, Sh M.S. Raghava, IG ( Now Addl.DG), Sh S.R.Panthi, IG, Sh Ashok Kumar Das, DIG, Sh Ram Singh, Inspector and Sh Yuvraj Sharma, Inspector were awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
Report By- Shruti Sharma