IGP, 19 J&K Police Officers Honoured with MHA Award for Avenging Pahalgam Attack
Recognition for Operation Mahadev that eliminated key planners behind April 2025 terror strike
Srinagar, Oct 31: Twenty officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Police have been awarded the “Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak” by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for their exemplary role in Operation Mahadev, a counter-terror mission that neutralized the masterminds of the Pahalgam terror attack.
The operation, conducted three months after the April 22 attack, resulted in the elimination of three Pakistani militants, including Suleiman alias Asif, identified as the chief planner of the Pahalgam strike along with Jibran and Hamza Afghani. Jibran was also linked to the Sonamarg Tunnel attack in October 2024.
Security forces recovered an M4 carbine rifle, two AK rifles, and other ammunition from the encounter site.
Among the awardees are IG Kashmir Vidhi Kumar Birdi, DIG Central Kashmir Pande Rajiv Omprakash, SSP Srinagar G.V. Sundeep Chakraborty, SP Cargo Tanweer Ahmed Dar, SP Zoheb Tanveer, and several other senior and field-level officers.
Award recipients: DSP Vikram Nag, DSP Mubashir Naiz, DSP Shakir Hassan, Inspector Taseer Hamid, SI Anchal Singh, SI Firoz Ahmad Dar, ASI Basharat Rasool Shah, ASI Mohammad Shafi, HC Javed Ahmed, HC Sandeep Khujuria, SGCT Varun Singh, SGCT Mehmood Khan, CT Suhail Abbas, and CT Basharat Qadir.
