20 BSF personnel named for gallantry medal for 2024 Kanker anti-Naxal operation

Twenty BSF personnel who participated in the 2024 Kanker anti-Naxal operation that killed 29 Maoists have been selected for the Medal for Gallantry ahead of Independence Day. The operation, conducted with Chhattisgarh Police, also led to recovery of arms and ammunition

New Delhi: Twenty Border Security Force (BSF) personnel who were part of a major anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh that killed 29 Maoists in 2024 have been named for the gallantry medal given on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day.

The April 15-16 incident in the Kanker district was billed as the “biggest-ever” operation against Left Wing Extremists in the central Indian state then, as it recorded the highest fatalities suffered by Naxalites in a single encounter.

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Twenty BSF personnel from the 94th battalion have been awarded the Medal for Gallantry in recognition of their conspicuous bravery during the meticulously planned anti-Naxal operation, a BSF statement said.

It added that the operation was carried out jointly with the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of Chhattisgarh Police near the Binagunda and Kalpar villages in that district. “The operation resulted in the elimination of 29 hardcore Naxal cadres and the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition,” the statement said.

Those named for the bravery medal are Inspector Ramesh Chandra Choudhary, Sub Inspector Alok Kumar, Head Constable Kana Ram Yadav, constables Vilayat Ali, Mohd Ali, Golam Ehsanuzzaman, Rajat Singh, Hasimuddin SK, Shrawan Meghwal, Prem Sagar, Prasanna Chettri, Sagar Ghosh, S Atchhiya Naidu, Adesh Kumar, Bidyut Gain, Khilare Navanath Narayan, Anil Kumar Verma, Sandeep Kumar, Dinesh and Siddharth Khati.

Five other officers of the force, including Inspector General (retd) M L Garg and C D Aggarwal, have been named for the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service and 42 others for the Medal for Meritorious Service, according to the statement.

The BSF, with about 2.70 lakh personnel, is primarily tasked with guarding Indian borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, in addition to undertaking anti-Naxal operations. India declared itself Naxal violence free in March 2026.