New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the National Police Memorial (NPM) on Saturday in recognition of the supreme sacrifice made by police personnel since independence. Around 35,000 police personnel martyred in the line of duty since Independence, most of them unsung, will get their names etched in the memorial.
October 21 is being observed as the Police Commemoration Day every year in memory of the policemen killed at Hot Springs in Ladakh by Chinese troops on this date in 1959.
The memorial has been erected on 6.12 acres of land in Chanakyapuri, at the northern end of Shanti Path.
The central sculpture of the memorial is a 30 feet monolith made of a single piece of granite, weighing 238 tonnes. Its weight and colour symbolise the gravitas and solemnity of the supreme sacrifice. A 60 foot long river at the base of the sculpture reflects the continuous self-service of the policeman and woman, to maintain peace and public order.
The Wall of Valour has the names of all 34,844 martyrs engraved on granite.
A Police Museum will also be dedicated to the nation on the occasion. It contains artefacts and points of time that shaped the history of the Indian police. This Police Memorial represents all State/UT Police Forces and Central Police Organizations of the country.
Since 1947, 34,844 police personnel have been martyred, with 424 losing their lives this year alone. Many of the deceased personnel were killed during the fight against terrorism, militancy and insurgency in various geographical regions such as Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and LWE-affected regions of the country.
Further, a large number of police lives were lost in prevention of crime and in maintenance of law and order.
