Srinagar, Aug 14: Senior Superintendent of Police Shoket Hussain Shah has been awarded the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service, while 52 Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel have been selected for police service medals on the occasion of Independence Day 2026.

According to the official force-wise list, the J&K Police honours include 38 Gallantry Medals, one President’s Medal for Distinguished Service and 13 Medals for Meritorious Service.

Shoket Hussain Shah is the only J&K Police officer to receive the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service this year. His name figures at serial number 44 in the official list of awardees.

The Gallantry Medal category accounts for the largest share of the J&K Police honours, with 38 personnel receiving the award. The recipients include officers and personnel from various ranks, including Deputy Inspectors General, Senior Superintendents of Police, Superintendents of Police, Deputy Superintendents of Police, Inspectors, Assistant Sub-Inspectors, Head Constables, SgCTs and Constables.

The Gallantry Medal list also includes personnel receiving bars for previous awards. Deputy Superintendent of Police Sarfaraz Bashir has received the 2nd Bar to the Gallantry Medal, while Head Constable Rayeesh Ahmad Reshi, SgCT Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan and Assistant Sub-Inspector Mohinder Singh have been awarded the 1st Bar to the Gallantry Medal.

Among the senior officers receiving Gallantry Medals are Deputy Inspector General Shiv Kumar, IPS, Senior Superintendent of Police Shobhit D. Saksena, IPS, Superintendent of Police Nasir Ahmad, Superintendent of Police Divya D, IPS, Senior Superintendent of Police Mushtaq Ahmad and Deputy Inspector General Pande Rajiv Omprakash, IPS.

Thirteen J&K Police personnel have also been awarded the Medal for Meritorious Service. The recipients include Superintendents of Police Sandeep Kumar and Amit Gupta, Deputy Superintendents of Police Rajesh Sharma, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, Kuljeet Singh and Sharat Chander Singh, Inspectors Shamim Ahmed, Vikram Singh and Mumin Ahmad Rather, Assistant Sub-Inspectors Bodh Raj and Mushtaq Ahmed, Sub-Inspector Manzoor Ahmad Gada and Constable Ashraf Gull.

The 52 J&K Police awardees comprise three categories of recognition, with 38 Gallantry Medals, 13 Medals for Meritorious Service and one President’s Medal for Distinguished Service.

Separately, Vinod Kumar Sharma, Divisional Warden, Jammu & Kashmir, has received a Medal for Meritorious Service under the Home Guard and Civil Defence category. He is not included in the 52-member J&K Police tally.

The Independence Day honours recognise distinguished, meritorious and gallant service by personnel across different ranks of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.