Lucknow | The Uttar Pradesh Police earned nationwide recognition on the eve of Republic Day 2026 by securing a total of 90 police medals, including several of the country’s highest honours for bravery and service. Senior officials said the awards reflect the force’s sustained campaign against organised crime and its role in maintaining law and order across the state.
According to the official announcement, the honours include 18 President’s Medals for Gallantry, four President’s Medals for Distinguished Service, and 68 Medals for Meritorious Service. The awards were announced as part of the annual Republic Day honours list.
Police officials said many of the gallantry awards were linked to high-risk encounters carried out by the Special Task Force (STF) against wanted criminals carrying substantial rewards.
One such operation took place on August 7, 2024, in the Farah police station area of Mathura. An STF team led by ASP Rakesh (STF Field Unit Agra), DSP Dharmesh Kumar Shahi (STF Lucknow), Inspector Satya Prakash Singh, and Sub-Inspector Yashwant Singh engaged in an encounter with Pankaj Yadav, a criminal carrying a reward of ₹1 lakh. Yadav, who had 39 criminal cases registered across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, was injured during the operation and later died during treatment.
Another major encounter occurred on March 21, 2022, in the Lohata police station area of rural Varanasi. An STF team from the Gorakhpur and Varanasi units confronted Manoj Singh alias Sonu Singh, a criminal carrying a reward of ₹2 lakh. He was injured in the exchange of fire and later declared dead by doctors. Manoj Singh had 36 serious criminal cases registered against him in multiple districts. Officers honoured for this operation included ASP Vinod Kumar Singh, Inspector Amit Srivastava, and Head Constables Baijnath and Manoj Singh.
On September 23, 2024, another STF operation in the Achalganj police station area of Unnao led to the neutralisation of Anuj Pratap Singh, a criminal carrying a reward of ₹1 lakh. He later died during treatment and was wanted in four serious cases registered in Uttar Pradesh and Surat district of Gujarat. Inspector Santosh Kumar Singh, Sub-Inspector Saurabh Mishra, and Head Constable Kavindra Sahni from the STF Lucknow unit were among those recognised.
In Kaushambi’s Manjhanpur police station area on June 27, 2023, an STF team led by Sub-Inspectors Atul Chaturvedi and Pradeep Kumar Singh, along with Head Constable Sushil Kumar Singh, eliminated Gufran, a criminal carrying a reward of ₹1.25 lakh. He had 15 serious criminal cases registered against him in different districts of the state.
Another gallantry citation dates back to March 16, 2020, when a police team in Saharanpur neutralised Abad, a dreaded criminal carrying a ₹50,000 reward. Despite intense firing that injured officers and damaged bulletproof jackets, the team successfully overpowered the accused, who was named in over 20 criminal cases. Gallantry medals were awarded to then Deputy SP Rajanish Kumar Upadhyay, Sub-Inspectors Jarrar Hussain and Sunil Singh, and Constable Kunal Malik.
Apart from gallantry awards, four officers received the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service, while 68 personnel were honoured with the Medal for Meritorious Service.
Among those recognised for meritorious service were Inspector Generals Akash Kulhary and Amit Pathak, Commandants Niharika Sharma and Sarvesh Kumar Mishra, along with 64 other officers. Officials said the honours acknowledge long-standing leadership, administrative excellence, and consistent efforts in crime control and public safety.
Senior police officials stated that the medals underscore the Uttar Pradesh Police’s commitment to decisive action against crime and professional policing standards across the state.
