Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the occasion of 'Police Memorial Day' on Thursday lauded the Indian Police force, saying it is "a quintessential example of the culmination of courage, restraint and diligence".
'Police Commemoration Day' is observed every year in memory of ten valiant Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) killed during patrol duty in an ambush by heavily armed Chinese troops in Hot Springs, Ladakh on October 21, 1959.
Taking to Twitter, the Home Minister said: "The police force is a quintessential example of the culmination of courage, restraint and diligence".
"On 'Police Memorial Day', on behalf of a grateful nation, I bow to all the brave soldiers who made their supreme sacrifice to protect the nation's sovereignty. The sacrifice and dedication of every policeman inspire us to serve the nation."
Meanwhile, Minister of State Nityanand Rai and senior officers of various central and state police forces paid tributes at the National Police Memorial here in the national capital on Police Commemoration Day 2021.
To honour the police personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty for national security, the idea of setting up a National Police Memorial in Delhi was approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1992.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the National Police Memorial to the nation on Police Commemoration Day on October 21, 2018. The Memorial gives Police Forces a sense of national identity, pride, unity of purpose, common history and destiny. The Memorial includes a Central Sculpture, the Wall of Valour and an underground Museum. As one enters the site, the flower-laden ramparts with two large symmetrically placed bowls, laced with flowers, symbolize the everlasting spirit of Police martyrs and their dedication.
Last year, 377 personnel of state Police forces as well as those of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) lost their lives in the line of duty. They made the supreme sacrifice while engaging with Pakistan supported militants in Jammu and Kashmir, armed insurgents and Naxal groups in the hinterland as well as armed criminals and maintaining public order.
The years 2020 and 2021 have been of unforeseen challenges. One such challenge was posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Police and CAPF personnel played a significant and frontline role as Covid warriors with little regard for their own safety. As a result, 2,458 Police and CAPF personnel fell prey to Covid-19, in the line of duty, while contributing to Covid management.
Since Independence, 35,780 Policemen have been killed upto August 31, 2021). Tributes are paid to these Policemen in every Police unit and every district in the country on October 21. At the national level, the function is held at the site of the National Police Memorial in Delhi.
( With inputs from ANI )
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