Police Commemoration Day is annually observed across India on 21st October to honour police personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
- The day remembers the martyrdom of 10 policemen who were killed by Chinese troops during a reconnaissance mission in Hot Springs, Ladakh, in 1959.
Background:
i.In January 1960, a resolution was passed at the Annual Conference of Inspectors General of Police of States and Union territories, recognising October 21st of every year as the Police Commemoration Day.
- 21st October of every year since 1960 is observed as “Police Commemoration Day.
History:
i.On 20th October1959, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) patrolled the India-Tibet border with three units of the 3rd Battalion, primarily monitoring the India-China border in Ladakh.
- Only two units returned; the third, which included two Police Constables and a Porter, went missing.
ii.In response, a search team of 20 personnel from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the CRPF, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Karam Singh, was deployed.
- Out of 20, 10 police personnel were killed, and seven were captured by Chinese forces. The bodies of the ten martyrs were returned by China on 13th November 1959, three weeks after the incident, and were cremated with full police honours at Hot Springs in Ladakh.
Note: Hot springs in Aksai Chin in Ladakh is situated between 15,000 and 16,000 feet above sea level on the Indo-Tibet border which was being manned by the Indian Police.
National Police Memorial:
i.During the 2018 Police Commemoration Day, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi dedicated the National Police Memorial (NPM) in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Delhi to the nation.
ii.The memorial comprises a Central Sculpture(a 30-foot-tall granite monolith cenotaph), the ‘Wall of Valour’ and a Museum(that details the history of policing in India).
Events in 2024:
Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) led the tribute ceremony on Police Commemoration Day 2024, at the NPM in New Delhi, Delhi on 21st October 2024 featuring a parade and community activities, including wreath-laying, blood donation drives, and competitions.
Police Commemoration Week 2024 – 21st to 26th October 2024
Police Commemoration Week 2024 was observed from 21st to 30th October 2024. As a part of the observance, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) organised a series of commemorative events on 28th October 2024 in NPM in New Delhi.
- As a tribute to the martyrs, The Union Minister of State, Ravneet Singh, Ministry of Railways, released the “Compendium of Martyrs in RPF,” an anthology of 157 inspiring stories of extraordinary sacrifice by RPF martyrs. This honours the memory of 1,087 RPF personnel who gave their lives in the line of duty
About the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF):
Director-General– Anish Dayal Singh
Establishment- 27 July 1939
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
