Gallantry medals presented to 127 CRPF personnel for anti-Naxal, anti-terror ops

A total of 127 CRPF personnel were decorated with gallantry medals on Thursday for undertaking operations in Naxalism-affected areas and against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The awardees included the family members of those personnel who were given the medals posthumously during the Independence Day last year and the Republic Day this year, a senior officer said.

During an event, Central Reserve Police Force chief A P Maheshwari awarded the medals to the personnel and to the family members of those who laid down their lives in the line of duty, the officer said.

Financial assistance certificates were also handed over to the families of the slain troopers, he said.

During the event, Maheshwari also handed over a citation for ‘best forward operating base’ (FOB) to its newly-operated base in worst Maoist violence affected Minpa area of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh.

“The FOBs are a part of three-pronged strategy that includes breaching enemy’s core areas by sustained operations, establishing bases in remote areas to launch targeted strikes and gain operational ascendency in due course, and using mobile command posts headed by senior officers during operations to dictate and manage the battle scenario in real-time,” CRPF spokesperson Deputy Inspector General Moses Dhinakaran said.

The CRPF is the country’s largest paramilitary force with over 3.25 lakh personnel in its ranks and it is extensively deployed for anti-Naxal operations and for counter-terrorist and law and order duties in Jammu-Kashmir.