New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will pay tribute to police personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty on Police Commemoration Day on Wednesday. The main ceremony will be held at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, where Shah will address the gathering and lay a wreath in memory of the martyrs of Hot Springs in Ladakh.
Alongside the tribute, Shah will flag off a motorcycle rally involving around 90 police riders from different states and Union Territories, central armed police forces and other central police organisations. The rally is part of a nationwide campaign against drugs.
According to an official statement, riders from Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi will participate. Personnel from the CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, ITBP and NSG will also be represented, along with members of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The initiative will bring police riders from across the country together at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat. They will take part in the Ekta Parade on October 31 as part of the ‘Fight Against Drugs’ campaign.
Police Commemoration Day Events Across the Country
Police Commemoration Day is observed every year to remember personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the nation. The main programme in Delhi will include a joint parade by the Central Armed Police Forces and Delhi Police.
The commemorations will continue at the National Police Memorial from October 22 to 30, with several activities planned to honour the service and sacrifice of police personnel. These will include visits by the families of martyrs, police band performances, motorcycle rallies, the Run for Martyrs and blood donation camps.
Essay-writing and painting competitions will also be organised for children. Films highlighting the courage, sacrifice and service of police personnel will be screened during the commemorative programmes.
Why October 21 Is Observed as Police Commemoration Day
The observance dates back to October 21, 1959, when 10 Indian policemen were killed in an ambush by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs in Ladakh. Their sacrifice is remembered every year on this day, which honours police personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri stands as a tribute to these personnel and their contribution to the country’s security and integrity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the memorial to the nation on Police Commemoration Day in 2018.