Chennai: To mark the 72nd Independence Day, the government of India has announced medals for 25 officers of Tamilnadu Police. They were selected for the coveted honour based on their achievements, reputation and overall performance.
‘News Today spoke to Deputy Commissioner of Police, St Thomas Mount, M S Muthusamy, who is receiving the Police Medal for Meritorious Service. For him, this recognition has come as great encouragement for several reasons.
“In 1998, I was directly recruited as a Deputy Superintendent of Police. I had worked in various districts including Ariyalur, Dindigul, Pudukottai and Salem and served as Deputy Commissioner of T Nagar as well.”
What stands out in his work profile is that he was part of the security team of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for 7.5 years.
“It was the riskiest assignment of my career. It required perfection, which was paramount. Throughout my service at any posting, I have held a clean record and done outstanding performance. The eligibility for this prestigious award comes to an officer after 20 years of service and I have just completed two decades as policeman. I am happy about this achievement.”
On working as the Deputy Commissioner of Mount, he says,”I have completed a year here. This is one of the largest districts and an expanding one. Many newcomers to the city are buying land here and so there are migratory issues going on. Apart from that, due to its proximity to the airport, it sees frequent VIP movement and the stretch is always on alert,” he concludes.
This year, three senior police officers have been awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
The recipients are ADGP/Chairman/ Managing Director, Tamilnadu Police Housing Corporation, M N Manjunatha, Inspector General of Police, South Zone, Madurai, K P Shanmuga Rajeswaran, Additional Superintendent of Police, Tamilnadu Police Academy, S Thirunavukkarasu.
Twenty two police officers have been awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service. In the list, the only single woman officer is Joint Commissioner of Police, West Zone, B Vijayakumari.
BADGE OF HONOUR
Police officers are selected at all India level for their distinguished work and these medals are awarded twice a year on Republic Day and Independence Day.