Srinagar/ August 15: Senior IPS officer and Deputy Inspector General of Police southern Kashmir, Atul Kumar Goel who arrested Deputy SP Devender Singh is one of the 81 J&K Police officials who have been awarded Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) on this Independence Day. The CRPF personnel have been awarded 51 Police Medals.
The list of awardees was released by Union Home Ministry on Friday. Besides IPS officer, SP Cyber Cell Kashmir Tahir Ashraf, some JKPS officers, inspectors, sub inspectors and constables have also awarded with the medal.
Officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs, familiar with the medals’ selection process, said the majority of gallantry medals going to the J&K Police and the CRPF is because of the counter-insurgency operations.
As many as 80 officers from across the country have been awarded the President’s Police Medal (PPM) for distinguished services while 631 officers have received the Police Medal (PM) for meritorious services.
DIG Atul Kumar Goel is among J&K Police officers who have been awarded the Police Medals for Gallantry (PMG). Goel is the one who caught Jammu and Kashmir DSP Davinder Singh at a checkpost while he was ferrying two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in a vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway in January this year.
His office had received the tip-off about the movement of a wanted Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist. The operation was carried out under Goel’s supervision which led to Davinder Singh’s arrest along with terrorists Naveed Babu and Altaf.
Inspector General Vijay Kumar and Atul Kumar Goel had played an important role in registering a case against Singh earlier this year.
Besides Goel, three IPS officers from Jammu & Kashmir Police — including Sandeep Choudhary (SSP Anantnag), Gurinderpal Singh (SP Kulgam) — have been awarded the PMG (Police Medal for Gallantry).
Two more J&K Police IPS officers, DIG Vidhi Kumar Birdi and Tejinder Singh (SSP), currently on deputation with the National Investigation Agency have received 1st and 2nd bar to PMG respectively.