942 Police Medals to be given on I-Day, CRPF tops
New Delhi, Aug 14: The Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) constable Sharif-ud-Din Ganie and Head Constable Muhammad Tafail, who lost their lives in 2017 while fighting militants in Jammu and Kashmir, have been posthumously selected for the President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) -- the highest police medal.
Their names are among the 942 Central and state police personnel whom the government has selected for 'Police Medals' on the 72nd Independence Day on Wednesday.
Ganaie and Tafail succumbed to their bullet injuries while fighting three Jaish-e-Mohammed militants who, on December 30, 2017 midnight, attacked the CRPF's South Kashmir-based Lethpora camp, one of the largest security establishments. Both the personnel were deployed in the CRPF's 185 Battalion.
Of the medal winners, 117 personnel have been selected for the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG), 88 for President's Police Medal for Distinguished Services (PPM) and 675 for Police Medal for Meritorious Services, the Union Home Ministry announced on Tuesday, adding that the list of awardees was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind.
The 3.5 lakh strong paramilitary force bagged the highest number of 154 police medals. It is the only force whose two personnel were chosen for the PPMG awards posthumously. The force also bagged a record 89 PMG awards among all armed forces and 58 PM awards. The CRPF is in the fourth place in bagging PPM awards.
This is the highest-ever gallantry medals tally for the CRPF, a senior official said.
In the PMG awards list, the CRPF is followed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police (37), Odisha Police (11), Border Security Force (10), Maharashtra Police (8), Chhattisgarh Police (6), five each from Delhi and Meghalaya Police, Assam Police (3); and one each by Bihar, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh Police.
The Intelligence Bureau bagged the highest eight PPM awards followed by six each by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Uttar Pradesh Police; CRPF (5); four each by Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha Police and the Border Security Force; three each by the Central Industrial Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu Police forces; two each by Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal Police; and one each by Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura, Chandigarh and Lakshadweep Police.
The Sashastra Seema Bal, the National Investigation Agency, the National Disaster Response Force, Ministry of Home Affairs and Railways also bagged one award each.
Besides police medals, the President has approved Correctional Service Medals to 36 prison personnel. The list of awardees includes five President's Correctional Service Medal for Distinguished Service and 31 Correctional Service Medal for Meritorious Service.
A total of 59 personnel have been selected for Fire Service Medals. Of these, President's Fire Service Medal for Gallantry will be awarded to one, Fire Service Medal for Gallantry to three, President's Fire Service Medal for Distinguished Service to five and Fire Service Medal for Meritorious Service to 50 personnel.
Fifty-five personnel have also been bestowed with Home Guard and Civil Defence Medals. Of these, President's Home Guard and Civil Defence Medal for Distinguished Service have been awarded to five personnel and Home Guard and Civil Defence Medal for Meritorious Service to 50 personnel.
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Siddaramaiah will continue as K'taka CM under 'current situation': Minister Parameshwara
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday asserted that Siddaramaiah will continue as the Chief Minister for the full five-year term under the "current situation".
He, however, maintained that any decision regarding the leadership change rests solely with the Congress high command.
"We don't know anything (about leadership change). Who said there will be a change? Who will change? The AICC has to do it. Since they haven't said anything, should we keep guessing? When they want to make changes, the high command will say so; they might not make any changes either," Parameshwara told reporters.
Asked if Siddaramaiah will continue as Chief Minister, he said, "Of course, he will, why shouldn't he? Siddaramaiah will continue under the current situation."
"If Siddaramaiah cannot continue, I'm not the one to say; it will not happen just because Parameshwara says so; the high command has to say," he added.
Amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah recently asserted that the party's government will remain in power for two more years and that he is the Chief Minister of the state.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
To a query about Shivakumar's aspirations to become the CM, the Home Minister said, "... He is our party state president, our senior leader and the Deputy Chief Minister. Who has to make him the Chief Minister? The high command has to respond, what they say is final. Let's wait until then."
In response to a question on the leadership issue causing a lot of confusion, Parameshwara asked, "Who created confusion? Did the Congress high command do it?"
Recalling that there was no explicit declaration in 2013 that Siddaramaiah would serve as the CM for five years, but he successfully completed his term until 2018, he said, "When Siddaramaiah was made CM in 2023, he has to be there for the full term. If he will not be there for the full term, high command has to decide."
Clarifying that the results of the upcoming by-polls in Bagalkote and Davanagere South will have no bearing on the CM's position, the senior Minister said, "Why should they be linked? Has anyone said there will be a change? Leave the BJP aside, we don't want their assessment. Should we run the administration based on what the BJP says?"
"There may be some discussion regarding a change in our party, but I'm not ready to say that there will be changes after the bypolls. Others can make their own personal assessments," he added.
Bypolls for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies will be held on April 9. The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
BJP MP and former CM Basavaraj Bommai recently said that the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress has taken a "short break" because of bypolls, and claimed that the state will witness a "political wrestling" for the Chief Minister's chair in May.
