17 UP Police Officers Named For Gallantry Medals | Check List Here

They were the names whispered in fear - men with dozens of cases, ruthless records, and bounties on their heads. But in a series of high-risk encounters, Uttar Pradesh Police officers took them head-on. On the eve of Independence Day, 17 of these brave officers were awarded the Gallantry Medal - recognition for courage that came face-to-face with danger.

Gorakhpur - The End of Vinod Upadhyay

January 5, 2024. Gulriha police station limits. STF teams move in under DSP Deepak Kumar Singh's command. Their target: Vinod Kumar Upadhyay - 46 criminal cases, ₹1 lakh bounty, a history steeped in murder and extortion. The standoff ends in gunfire. Upadhyay falls, his reign over Gorakhpur's underworld finally broken. Inspector Hemant Bhushan Singh and Head Constable Vinod Kumar were there, pulling the trigger on fear itself.

Meerut - A Robbery Attempt Gone Wrong

January 25, 2020. TP Nagar. Then SSP Ajay Kumar Sahni (now DIG Bareilly) intercepts Chaudh alias Kale mid-crime. Kale - 39 cases, ₹1 lakh reward - fires back. The exchange is short, brutal, and final. Deputy SP Dinesh Chandra and Head Constable Manoj Kumar stand in the line of fire until the threat is gone.

Ballia - Shahabuddin Gang's Shooter Silenced

September 3, 2021. Rasra. STF DSP Dharmesh Kumar Shahi leads SI Yashwant Singh and Head Constable Neeraj Kumar Pandey against Harish Paswan. Paswan - 35 cases across three states - was the Shahabuddin gang's gun-for-hire. That night, he wouldn't leave alive.

Gautam Buddh Nagar - Hunting the Axle Gang

July 7, 2021. Sector-20 police station area. Inspector Munish Pratap Singh Chauhan's team corners Ajay alias Kalia - ₹2 lakh reward, wanted for expressway robberies and assaults. SI Akshay Parveer Tyagi and Head Constables Rajan Kumar, Mukesh Kumar move in. Kalia doesn't walk away.

Aligarh - The Last Ride of Bablu Alias Ganja

July 2, 2020. Tappal. SI Pramod Kumar faces Bablu alias Ganja, a ₹50,000 prize on his head and 27 cases to his name. In minutes, the gunfight is over. Another chapter in the Axle Gang's bloody history closes.

From dusty village roads to the high-speed lanes of the Yamuna Expressway, these encounters weren't just operations - they were battles where hesitation meant death. The medals on these officers' chests tell the story: in Uttar Pradesh's fight against crime, courage is the first weapon.