Provincial Armed Constabulary

Period : 22nd October 1955

Awarded to members of a recognized police force, the Central Intelligence Bureau, or an organized fire service who have performed services of conspicuous gallantry. A monetary award at half the rates established for the President's Police and Fire Services Medal for Gallantry is authorized. For subsequent acts of gallantry, a bar may be awarded.

In normal circumstances, no more than one hundred and seventy-five police gallantry medals may be awarded in any one year.

This represents a replacement for the Indian Police Medal for Gallantry.

Established: 10 March 1951.

Obverse: Circular bronze medal with the state emblem in the center and the legend "Police Medal" above. Suspended by a straight bar suspender (?) and named on the edge.

Reverse: Two horizontal lines, above and below the legend "Indian / Police" and, in the center, "For Gallantry". The entire reverse is contained within a wreath.

Ribbon: 34 mm, dark blue with a 10 mm medium red central stripes, 5 mm white edge stripes and a 1 mm stripe just in from these edge stripes. White 5 mm, dark blue 3 mm, white 1 mm, dark blue 3 mm, medium red 10 mm, dark blue 3 mm, white 1 mm, dark blue 3 mm, white 5 mm.

Awards: To understand the award better, a sample recipient would be Mohammad Isa, Company Commander, IV Battalion, Provincial Armed Constabulary, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh: "On 22nd October 1955 when the Provincial Armed Constabulary under Company Commander Mohammad Isa was on patrol, information was received that six or seven armed men had infiltrated into a forest near the village Kurat. Early morning, Shri Isa, with one section of the P.A.C., one Head Constable, and one Constable P.C., proceeded to village Tapka. They found no one there, but a hearth which was still warm indicated that the dacoits [bandits] had been there recently. Company Commander Mohammad Isa divided his force into three sub-sections and directed them to proceed with extreme caution toward a small hillock nearby. As they approached, a dacoit dressed in khaki clothes and armed with a gun, was noticed taking position behind a bush. The dacoit was at once challenged, but fired at the police party and began to run. Company Commander Isa ordered the flanks to give him covering fire and chased the retreating dacoit who, crippled by police fire, had taken cover behind a tree and continued firing at the Police. Company Commander Isa ran a little ahead of his party; got within 15 yards of the hiding place of the dacoit; and shot him dead. The dacoit was identified as Raghunath Singh of village Dhorisgar, who had committed several heinous offences and terrorized the neighborhood for some time. In this encounter with armed dacoits, Company Commander Mohammad Isa gave an excellent example of cool courage and displayed qualities of leadership." (Award of 14 January 1957, in Gazette of India, part I, section 1, 19 January 1957, p. 16.)
 

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