I-Day: 20 ITBP troops awarded medals for bravely fighting Chinese PLA in Ladakh

Twenty personnel of the IndiaChina LAC guarding IndoTibetan Border Police ITBP force have been awarded gallantry medals for displaying bravery during standoff and clashes between militaries of the two countries in the eastern Ladakh region last yearThese medals for bravery are among the total 1380 service medals announced by the Union government for various central and state police forces on the eve of Independence DayThere are two Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry PPMG 628 Police Medal for Gallantry PMG 88 Presidents police medal for distinguished service and 662 police medals for meritorious service in the latest awards listSub Inspector Amar Deep of Jammu and Kashmir Police JKP and late Head Constable Kale Sunil Dattatraya posthumously of the CRPF are the only two recipients of the top bravery medal Presidents Police Medal for GallantryThe maximum gallantry medals at 257 1 PPMG and 256 PMG were earned by the JKP followed by the Central Reserve Police Force at 151 1 PPMG and 150 PMG an official list released by the Union home ministry saidAmong the 23 gallantry medals for the ITBP twenty are for operations that took place during the MayJune 2020 clashes with the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army PLA in Ladakh where the central paramilitary is deployed shouldertoshoulder with the Army as part of its primary mandate to guard the 3488kmlong icy Line of Actual Control LACOut of the 20 eight personnel have been awarded the PMG for their gallant act meticulous planning and tactical insightfulness and for defending the motherland in Galwan Nalla on June 15 the force said in a statementSix personnel have been awarded with the PMG for gallant action during violent face off on May 18 in the Finger IV area while the rest six have been decorated with the same medal for their gallant action near Hot Springs in Ladakh on the same day the statement saidThis is the highest number of gallantry medals awarded to the force for the bravery of its men in border face offs skirmishes and border guarding duties ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey saidIn eastern Ladakh the ITBP troops not only effectively used shields to protect themselves but also responded fiercely to advancing Chinese PLA troops and brought the situation under control during fierce face offs and skirmishes the statement saidWith highest order of professional skills ITBP troops fought shouldertoshoulder and also brought the injured Army troops to the rearEven when the ITBP troops fought the whole night they received minimum casualties by giving befitting reply to the stone pelters of the PLA it saidAt certain places the statement said the troops gave a determined standoff for about 1720 hours throughout the intervening night June 1516 in extremely challenging conditionsDue to the highaltitude training and survival experience of the force at the icy Himalayan deployments ITBP troops kept the PLA troops at bay and due to the all out and befitting response of ITBP troops at several fronts many areas were safeguardedThe ITBP troops showed highest level of devotion courage determination utter disregard to personal safety even in injured condition and exhibited great professional skills in the face of violent physical scuffle with the PLA it saidTwenty Indian Army soldiers were killed during these clashes China had claimed the casualty figures on its side were five which is widely believed to be much higherThree ITBP personnel have been awarded the PMG for displaying courage grit and determination in antiNaxal operations in Chhattisgarh the statement saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever