New Delhi, Aug 14: CRPF DIG Nalin Prabhat, who led an encounter that killed four top Hizbul Mujahideen militants in 2008 and Madhya Pradesh ATS constable Sitaram Yadav, who was killed by SIMI operatives in 2009, are among 930 police personnel decorated with gallantry and other service medals on the eve of Independence Day.
 The maximum number of gallantry medals --26-- have been earned by the personnel and officers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) which has deployed almost 60000 troops for anti-Naxal operations in the country.
 Prabhat, who was the commander of the force during the deadly Dantewada Naxal ambush last year, has been awarded the gallantry medal for executing a "spectacular operation" in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district which killed  four HM militants including district commander Sajjad Bhat.
 In the medals tally announced today, the CRPF is closely followed by Manipur Police with 24 gallantry medals going to its kitty.
 The government also announced President's Police Medal for gallantry to seven personnel, Police Medal for gallantry to 95 personnel, President's Police Medal for distinguished service to 93 personnel and Police Medal for meritorious service to 735 personnel.
 Prabhat was heading the operations of the force when 75 CRPF men and a state police personnel were killed in one of the deadliest Maoist attacks on police forces, in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on April six last year.
 Constable Yadav (32) of the MP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), who has been posthumously honoured, was killed in Khandwa district of the state in November 2009 by Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) operatives.
 Yadav was instrumental in cracking several modules of SIMI and was involved in other such operations.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 14 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST