The 62nd state-level Police Commemoration Day was observed here today at the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) headquarters to pay tributes to the brave personnel of the state who sacrificed their lives for the unity and integrity of the nation.Paying glowing tributes to the personnel of the state, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the Punjab Police was an exceptional force which served the country both in times of peace and disturbance. He said the state police had sacrificed its 1604 officers and constables while fighting terrorism.A well-organised commemoration parade was held at the Police Martyr’s memorial constructed inside the PAP campus. After giving a general salute to the Deputy Chief Minister, the names of all 377 police martyrs of this year, including ASI Bhagwan Singh and ASI Dalwinderjit Singh of Punjab Police, were read out by Commandment Rajpal Singh Sandhu. A two-minute silence was observed and later senior officials laid wreaths at the martyr’s memorial.S. Randhawa, while addressing the gathering after paying tributes to the martyrs, said that it is because of these martyrs that we are enjoying freedom in the country. “I feel honoured to pay my rich tributes to the brave-hearts, who had sacrificed their lives in the service of the motherland,” he said.
On the decision to extend BSF’s jurisdiction to 50Kms inside the international border of Punjab, he said that Punjab, which had always remained at forefront during all the wars, doesn’t need any other force for it’s protection. “Our Police force is competent enough to protect the Punjab,” said the Deputy CM.Addressing the martyrs’ families, S. Randhawa who also holds the portfolio of Home department, assured them that their grievances would be redressed on a priority basis and new welfare schemes would be mooted to provide more facilities to them. He said it was only due to the never-ending support by their families that the cops were able to do their duty with full grit and honour.S. Randhawa announced that the laboratories would be set up in the dispensaries of Police lines where the families of police personnel would be provided with the facility of testing. The labs would cost Rs.1.25 crore to the State Exchequer.DGP Punjab Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, speaking on the occasion, assured fulsome support and cooperation from the Punjab Government and Punjab Police to the families of martyrs. “We will not let not the sacrifices of our Martyrs go in vain. I assure you that the Punjab Police will continue to serve the border state with full dedication and bravery,” he said.
History of Police Commemoration Day
The history of commemoration day goes back to October 21 1959 when a patrol party of the CRPF, led by SI Karam Singh, was ambushed by Chinese forces at Hot Springs in Ladakh and 10 jawans were killed. The bravery and the resulting sacrifice of jawans, fighting at 16,000 ft altitude in extremely cold conditions and against all odds, is an epitome of the rarest of the rare courage. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police sends a representative party of all police forces of the country to Hot Springs, Ladakh, every year to pay homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives on October 21, 1959, while guarding the national frontiers.Since then on October 21 every year, commemoration parades are held in all police units as a mark of respect to brave police martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Arms are reversed and a two-minute silence is observed in the honour of the departed souls. The names of police martyrs of states, police and paramilitary forces are read out to acknowledge the supreme sacrifices made by them.