CRPF commando killed fighting Maoists wins Kirti Chakra

A central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commando, constable Bhrigu Nandan Choudhary, who died fighting the Maoists in Chakrabanda area of Jharkhand, was awarded the Kirti Chakra — the second highest peacetime gallantry award after the Ashoka Chakra — on the occasion of Republic Day Sunday. He is the first CRPF commando to have won the award.

In September 2012, Choudhury killed six armed Maoists despite losing both his legs in an IED blast during an operation in the dense Chakrabanda forests in Jharkhand.

The CRPF bagged the maximum number of gallantry medals (15) this year, with constable Santosh Kumar Singh and constable Ugrasen Tripathi being awarded the President’s Police Medal for gallantry posthumously. The Police Medal for gallantry (posthumously) was awarded to S Prabhu, Narendra Singh, Parasmani Jha, Mukesh Kumar Bunkar and Pradeep Kumar. Assistant Commandant Anjani Kumar, Deputy Commandant Trilok Nath Singh and Constables Ali Hasan, Subir Das, Raj Kumar, Sanjay Yadav, Sibo Prasad Panigrahi and Birju Kumar bagged the Police Medal for gallantry this year.