Haryana STF Personnel Win Union Home Ministers Medal for Excellence 2026
Ten personnel of the Haryana Police Special Task Force (STF) have been selected for the Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence 2026, in recognition of their exemplary work in intelligence gathering and special operations. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced the awards on 31 October 2026, as part of a national list of 490 police personnel from states, Union Territories, Central Armed Police Forces and central police organisations.
The Haryana recipients are split across the medal’s two streams. In the intelligence category, the selected personnel are Senior Superintendent of Police Wasim Akram, Deputy Superintendent of Police Pradeep, Sub-Inspector Varun and Constable Varun Jangra. In the special operations category, the awardees are Deputy Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar, Sub-Inspectors Gaurav Singh, Randeep Singh, Kapil and Sandeep, and Constable Sajan Singh.
The medal, formally the Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak, was instituted by the Union Home Ministry through a notification dated 1 February 2024. It recognises police personnel at the national level for exceptional professional skill, dedication to duty and distinguished service during challenging operations. The award is announced annually on 31 October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Haryana Police said the STF team was recognised in the special operations category for a comprehensive and challenging counter-terrorism operation, and in the intelligence category for sustained intelligence work carried out in coordination with international agencies, including work that led to a fugitive being brought back to India from Georgia in June 2026. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini congratulated the STF personnel on their selection, calling it a proud moment for Haryana Police.
For Haryana, the honour underlines the STF’s growing role in complex, intelligence-led operations that require coordination across agencies and borders. The medal is intended to encourage high professional standards and boost the morale of personnel working in policing, security, intelligence and forensic science. The Haryana awardees will join the national list of 490 recipients for 2026, of whom 358 were recognised for special operations, 123 for investigation and nine for forensic science.
