Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit the state to formally confer the President of India’s Police Colour award on Odisha Police, recognising the force’s decades of exceptional service, bravery, and professionalism.
Director General of Police (DGP) Y B Khurania chaired a high-level meeting on Monday at the DGP Camp Office located within the State Police Headquarters to finalise the preparations. Several senior officials, including Crime Branch Director General Vinaytosh Mishra, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar, ADG (Modernisation) Soumendra Priyadarshi, ADG (Communication) Dayal Gangwar, ADG (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sanjeeb Panda, ADG Rajesh Kumar, ADG S Saini, HRPC Jatindra Koel, Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh, ADG (Headquarters) Prateek Mohanty, IG Praveen Kumar, and IG (Crime Branch) Sarthak Sarangi, attended the meeting.
Khurania described the award as a testament to the collective hard work and dedication of Odisha Police. “This award is given only once,” he noted, highlighting how the force’s sustained excellence in maintaining law and order, combating challenges like Maoist insurgency, cybercrime, narcotics control, and disaster response has earned it this distinction.
Accordingly, arrangements have begun for the ceremony, he added.
The President’s Police Colour award, popularly known as ‘Nishaan’, is the highest honour for any police force or Central Armed Police Force. The award is typically granted after a unit completes a minimum of 25 years of outstanding service, following a rigorous evaluation by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Once conferred, the award is represented by a special flag or emblem (Nishaan), which personnel of the honoured force wear with pride on the left sleeve of their uniform. It symbolises the unit’s distinguished performance in both operational and administrative domains.
