Personnel from Assam and the Northeastern states figured prominently in the Republic Day 2026 honours list, with 55 officers and staff receiving national medals for gallantry, distinguished service and meritorious service across police, fire services, home guards and civil defence.

Assam

Assam recorded honours across all three police medal categories.

• The President’s Medal for Distinguished Service was awarded to Imdadul Hussain Bora, Inspector General of Police, for long and exemplary service.
  
• In the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) category, the Assam Police personnel honoured include:
  •  Pranab Jyoti Goswami, Dr Sadeque Ali Ahmed, Ripul Das, Nabaneet Mahanta,  Saurav Jyoti Saikia, (Superintendent of Police)
  • Anil Moran, (Deputy Superintendent of Police), Jagdish Kalita, Inspector, Parikshit Uzir, Pabin Chandra Das, (Sub-Inspector), Hemadhar Borah, Diganta Kumar Nath, Suresh Boro, Hobibur Rahman, Prasad Talukdar, Lance Naik
• In addition, Assam Fire Services personnel Bhuban Chandra Mali, Sub Officer and Nandeswar Das, leading fireman, received two Medals for Meritorious Service.
• Home Guard and Civil Defence personnel were awarded one President’s Medal for Distinguished Service to Samiran Dey Purkayastha, Platoon Commander and two Medals for Meritorious Service were rewarded to Jaleswar Deka, Deputy Controller and Chakradhar Barman, Platoon Commander from Assam, recognising their role in disaster response, civil emergencies and internal security support .

Manipur: Gallantry and Operational Excellence

Manipur stood out with awards in gallantry and service categories.

• Multiple personnel received the Medal for Gallantry, reflecting frontline bravery in high-risk operations.
• Others were honoured with the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service and Medal for Meritorious Service, recognising leadership and sustained operational performance.

Other Northeastern States

• Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura also saw officers awarded, mainly under Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service categories.
• The honours covered ranks from Inspector General level to constables, reinforcing the inclusive nature of national recognition.

About Police and Service Medals

• Announced annually on Republic Day.
• Categories include Gallantry, President’s Medal for Distinguished Service, and Medal for Meritorious Service.
• They recognise bravery, sustained excellence, and commitment to public order and internal security.

At the national level, Republic Day 2026 honours included 125 Gallantry Medals, 101 President’s Medals for Distinguished Service, and 756 Medals for Meritorious Service, reflecting the scale of recognition across India’s security and emergency services.

Exam Hook – 

Q. Consider the following statements:

1. Police and service medals are announced annually on Republic Day.
2. The Medal for Gallantry recognises only long service and administrative excellence.
3. Personnel from fire services, home guards and civil defence are also eligible for national service medals.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: 1 and 3 only

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