12 UP Police personnel awarded gallantry medals, 7 for STF operations

On the eve of Independence Day, 12 Uttar Pradesh Police personnel were selected for the Medal for Gallantry (GM), including seven from the Special Task Force (STF) for encounters in Meerut and Moradabad. Hindustan Times reports that a key operation on May 4, 2023, in Meerut led to the killing of gangster Anil Nagar alias Anil Dujana, who was involved in 66 criminal cases. Inspector Sunil Kumar of the STF field unit received the GM posthumously. A second operation on November 10, 2025, in Moradabad killed two wanted criminals, Arif alias Tinda (Rs 1 lakh reward) and Deenu (Rs 50,000 reward).

Times of India adds that Agra Police, led by then SSP Muniraj G, also received gallantry medals for a July 2021 encounter in which gangster Badan Singh (Rs 1 lakh bounty) and his aide were killed. The encounter was linked to the abduction of Agra surgeon Dr Umakant Gupta. Other awardees include ASP Satyajeet Gupta and inspector Narendra Kumar. In total, UP Police secured 93 service honours, including six President’s Medals for Distinguished Service and 75 Medals for Meritorious Service.