India observed Police Commemoration Day on Wednesday with solemn ceremonies at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri, where the nation paid tribute to police personnel who died in the line of duty. At the centre of the observance, Intelligence Bureau Director Dr Mahesh Dixit stated that 154 police personnel had laid down their lives over the past year.
Names of 154 personnel read out at the memorial
The national programme included a joint commemorative parade involving personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), National Security Guard (NSG), Assam Rifles, Railway Protection Force (RPF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Delhi Police. Dr Dixit read out the names of the 154 fallen personnel so that tributes could be formally paid.
In his remarks, Dr Dixit recalled the origin of the observance. He said that on October 21, 1959, ten CRPF personnel, led by Karam Singh, DCIO of the Intelligence Bureau, sacrificed their lives while confronting an armed Chinese military contingent at Hot Springs in Ladakh along the India-China border. He said the date has since been marked every year as Police Commemoration Day.
Amit Shah describes memorial as a place of pilgrimage
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who attended as chief guest, paid homage at the memorial and described it as a place of pilgrimage. He said the National Police Memorial was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in 2018 and was dedicated to police personnel from across the country who have been martyred in the line of duty.
Shah said the purpose of the memorial is to inspire future generations of police personnel, encourage vigilance in their responsibilities, and remind them of the readiness required in public service. He also noted that 154 new names had been added to the Wall of Valour this year.
He thanked Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel deployed on borders and across the country, and highlighted their role in internal security, elections, and democratic processes. Shah specifically praised CAPF personnel for conducting the West Bengal Assembly elections without any loss of life, calling it a new benchmark in a state historically linked with election-related violence.
PM Modi’s message and annual observance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute through social media, saying Police Commemoration Day is an occasion to express deep gratitude to police personnel who serve in difficult conditions, from maintaining law and order to fighting crime and responding to emergencies. He said their supreme sacrifice would remain etched in the nation’s memory.
Police Commemoration Day is observed every year on October 21 through programmes in state capitals, districts, and police stations. The National Police Memorial, inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on October 21, 2018, includes a 30-foot black granite central sculpture, known as a cenotaph, the Wall of Valour engraved with the names of martyrs, and an underground museum documenting the history of policing in India.
Further commemorative events, including participation by families of the fallen, are set to be organised by CAPFs at the memorial from October 22 to 30, based on recommendations from the 2019 Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police.
The observance stands as a national reminder of the sacrifices made by police forces, both state and central, in safeguarding citizens and protecting the country’s integrity.
