Four Tamil Nadu and ten Haryana police officers to receive home minister's medal
The Union Home Ministry has selected several officers from Tamil Nadu and Haryana for excellence in intelligence and special operations.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Saturday that four police officials from Tamil Nadu and ten personnel from the Haryana Police Special Task Force (STF) have been selected for the Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak 2026, according to The New Indian Express and The Tribune.
In Tamil Nadu, the awardees include Madhu Kumari, IPS, SP and commandant of the Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP) VI Battalion in Madurai, and V Satish Kumar, IPS, SP of Tiruvarur district. From the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Chennai zone, P Aravindhan, IPS, additional director, and Jubin Sam, sub-inspector, were also selected.
The NCB officials were recognised for their work in dismantling transnational drug cartels that used the darknet and cryptocurrencies. The Chennai zone had identified two major darknet-based drug cartels in 2026 and one in 2025, the bureau stated.
In Haryana, ten STF members were selected for excellence in intelligence and special operations. In the intelligence category, SSP Wasim Akram, DSP Pradeep, Sub-Inspector Varun, and Constable Varun Jangra were named. The special operations category includes DSP Aman Kumar, Sub-Inspector Gaurav Singh, Sub-Inspector Randeep Singh, Sub-Inspector Kapil, Sub-Inspector Sandeep, and Constable Sajan Singh.
The Haryana STF was recognised for a counterterrorism operation against a network linked to Shahzad Bhatti, which led to the arrest of 24 terrorists and associates across several states. The unit also assisted in the extradition of Venkat Garg from Georgia to India on June 11, 2026.
Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Ajay Singhal congratulated the STF officers, stating they had raised the department's reputation through professionalism and strategic acumen.