Two police officers posted in Mumbai will be awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, while 15 will get the Police Medal for Meritorious Service on Saturday.
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In total, four Maharashtra police personnel will be rewarded for Distinguished Service, while 41 will be recognised for their meritorious service on Republic Day. The medals are awarded keeping in mind the entire service record of the candidates, and those with the best track record in terms of work as well as other related criteria are selected for the medals.
The two officers who have won the President's Police medal for Distinguished Service this year are Additional Director General of Police B.K. Singh, posted with the Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Dinesh Joshi, Kherwadi division.
“The medal is the highest honour that an Indian Police Service officer can be honoured with. It is a celebration of the hard work we put in over our entire career,” Mr. Singh said.
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Meanwhile, those to be honoured for Meritorious Service include three personnel from the Anti Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch. Police Inspector Sachin Kadam, Assistant Sub Inspector Nandkishor Shelar and Head Constable Krishna Jadhav.
Mr. Kadam sounded upbeat, as his colleagues gathered to congratulate him. “Moments like these compensate for all the hard work we put in as well as the sacrifices our families make so that we can stay true to our job. It is a proud moment as well as a humbling one,” he said.
Other officers who have won the medal include Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VI) Shahaji Umap, ACP (Sion division) Sharad Naik, Senior Police Inspector Nitin Alaknure, MIDC police station, Police Inspectors Nandkumar Gopale, Khar police station and Dhanashree Karmarkar with the office of the Director General of Police, Maharashtra, and Assistant Police Inspector Anil Parab and Police Sub Inspector Satyawan Raut with the State Intelligence Department.
“It is important for the hard work put in by policemen to reach the citizen and recognition like this award is one such way,” ACP Naik said. To this, Mr. Gopale added, “This appreciation only inspires us to keep working harder.”
Among the constables, the medal will be awarded to Head Constables Ganpati Daphale with the ACB, Pandurang Talawadekar with the N.M. Joshi Marg police station, Mahadev Kadam with the Kurar police station and Dayaram Mohite and Dattatray Kudale with the Mumbai Crime Branch.
For Mr. Talawadekar, who retires in two years, the medal is a result of several years of effort, and he sounded like it was a mission accomplished. “I was at the Kalachowky police station when the then Senior Inspector Rolfie Perreira won this medal. I aspired to win the honour and applied for the first time in 2013 when I became eligible due to the number of rewards I had received. Since then I have been applying regularly. I have also appeared for the Police Sub Inspector’s exam and am expecting the results soon,” he said.