New Delhi:

A day after personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) thwarted an attack by armed gunmen on their camp in Manipur’s Kangpokpi, a senior CRPF officer said there was “rapid and random” firing on the roof of the camp and a befitting reply was given to the attackers.

CRPF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Manish Kumar Sachar said the attack was a surprise for them, but those involved in the attack were pushed back and the situation was taken under control.

“There is an abandoned village about three km from here, and a counted few people stayed there. Suddenly, they (armed gunmen) came (from the northern side) and this was a surprise for us. There were random and rapid fire on the roof of the company and our boys responded swiftly and forced them to go back,” Mr Sachar said.

“While running back, these people burnt two houses in the periphery of the village. They also used bombs. Our boys showed tremendous alertness and forced them to go back. The situation is fully in our control… They (survivors) are very safe with us,” he said.

#WATCH | Kangpokpi, Manipur | On CRPF camp attacked in Kangpokpi Hill areas, DIG CRPF, Manish Kumar Sachar says, “There is an abandoned village nearby…Some people randomly came to the terrace of the company and started rapid firing, it was a surprise for us. But the boys (CRPF… pic.twitter.com/AILtFbbjPz

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2024

He said the incident happened at 7.30 pm and it was “a planned attack”.

Mr Sachar said the CRPF “is all committed to solving the issue of Manipur and bringing peace”. “We promise that we will stand by our commitment,” he added.

New Delhi:

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been awarded the highest number of police gallantry medals — 52 — on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day.

The Union Home Ministry declared the names of the awardees on Wednesday.

Out of the total medals, 25 decorations have been awarded for action during operations in Jammu and Kashmir while 27 are for operations in the anti-Maoist operations in various Left Wing Extremism affected states, a senior CRPF officer said.

Among the awardees is Sub-Inspector Raushan Kumar who has been honoured with the bravery medal posthumously for his gallant action against Maoists in Bihar in February 2019.

Assistant Commandant Teja Ram Choudhary has been awarded two gallantry medals this time for displaying courage in separate operations against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said.

The CRPF is followed by Jammu and Kashmir Police which got 31 bravery medals while 17 each have gone to police officials from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The CRPF, with about 3.25 lakh personnel in its ranks, is the country’s largest paramilitary force and is primarily deputed for operations in Jammu and Kashmir, northeastern states and Naxal violence-affected states apart from guarding many high-risk VIPs.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)