M.P. Nathanael | Kin Of Police Martyrs Deserve A Better Deal
These three were among 154 police personnel who died in the line of duty during the year beginning September 1, 2025 — the lowest toll in two decades, down from a peak of 786 in 2010. The CRPF recorded two such deaths, its lowest toll in several decades, touching a peak of 191 in 2010 — the year 76 CRPF personnel were killed in an encounter with Maoists in the Tadmetla forests of Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), on April 6
Assistant commandant Raghunath Singh Bhati of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was travelling back to base after elections were successfully conducted in West Bengal when his vehicle met with a serious accident on April 13, 2026. He was evacuated to the Army Hospital in New Delhi, where he succumbed to his injuries on April 29 despite prolonged treatment. He was cremated with full honours the following day in his hometown of Jaisalmer.
On October 10, 2025, Inspector Koushal Kumar Mishra, 58, of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was leading a patrol to apprehend Maoists in the Seranda forests of West Singhbhum district (Jharkhand) when Maoists detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The blast seriously injured Mishra and two others, including head constable Mahendra Laskar, 45, from Naogaon (Assam). Laskar died of his injuries the following day while Mishra succumbed to his injuries on October 30 while under treatment.
These three were among 154 police personnel who died in the line of duty during the year beginning September 1, 2025 — the lowest toll in two decades, down from a peak of 786 in 2010. The CRPF recorded two such deaths, its lowest toll in several decades, touching a peak of 191 in 2010 — the year 76 CRPF personnel were killed in an encounter with Maoists in the Tadmetla forests of Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), on April 6.
To CRPF goes much of the credit for eliminating Maoists across the country, though at a heavy cost of many of its personnel sacrificing their lives, and several others maimed in blasts and encounters. Over 780 personnel sacrificed their lives combating the Maoists.
Incidentally, Toman Kumar Taram, 31, a Commando of the 209th Battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) set his foot on an IED while operating in Lohardaga (Jharkhand) in February 2022. His left foot was blown off in the blast. While he continues to serve in CRPF, he took to archery with a prosthetics foot under the tutelage of his coach Pankaj Singh in Hyderabad and recently bagged a gold in the mixed team with Sheetal Devi at the Para Asian Games in Nagoya (Japan).
The Border Security Force recorded the highest toll, with 25 personnel martyred, while Bihar Police lost 12 of its personnel. Jammu and Kashmir police, engaged in counter-terrorism since 1989, lost nine personnel, as did Madhya Pradesh Police and ITBP. Having wiped out the Maoists, Chhattisgarh Police deaths dwindled to six from 16 last year. Last year’s toll included additional superintendent of police Akash Rao Girepunje, who was killed in an IED blast in Konta in Sukma district.
In the far northeastern state of Manipur that is grappling with the challenges posed by the internecine clashes between the Meiteis, Nagas and the Kukis for the last over three years, one policeman of the India Reserve Battalion lost his life when he was stabbed by an assailant while on a search operation to recover drugs in Thoubal district on June 3, 2026.
The Police Commemoration Day is observed on October 21 every year in remembrance of 10 CRPF men who sacrificed their lives while taking on hordes of Chinese soldiers who dared to intrude into the Indian territory in Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959. Though heavily outnumbered, the CRPF men stood their ground and repulsed their attack. The derring-do displayed by the brave CRPF men is written in golden words in the annals of Indian police. A magnificent memorial at Hot Springs draws a contingent of police personnel from all states and Central Armed Police Forces including the National Security Guard to pay homage every year. On the memorial which stands as a mute testimony to the sacrifices made by our policemen is engraved the famous epitaph by John Maxwell Edmunds: “When you go home, tell them of us, and say ‘For your tomorrows these gave their today’.”
A contingent of ITBP maintains the post round the year while guarding the Indo-China borders even in extreme cold weather harsh conditions. At solemn parades in all state capitals and districts, names of all 154 police martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the last one year were read out and homage paid by laying wreaths and observing two minutes silence in memory of their fallen comrades.
Addressing the police personnel at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi on the Police Commemoration Day recently, the Union Home minister Amit Shah extolled the duties performed by police personnel not only in crushing the Maoists menace once for all but also maintaining law and order across the country in difficult conditions. While the citizens of the country celebrate festivals with their near and dear ones, the police personnel maintain constant vigil on the streets, roads and borders to prevent any untoward incident. As many as 36,852 police personnel sacrificed their lives at the altar of duty since independence, he said. Dwelling on the unique achievement of having met the deadline of March 31, 2026 to win the war against Maoists, he said that over 3000 police personnel including the Central Armed Police Forces and 13,700 civilians laid down their lives in the war against Maoists since 1981.
While the solatium granted to the next of kin of police martyrs is quite substantial in some states, in several others it is far from what they deserve. While states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh pay an ex-gratia grant of Rs 1 crore, states like West Bengal pay anything ranging from Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 15 lakhs on case-to-case basis.
Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy announced at the Police Commemoration Day parade in Hyderabad on October 21 that the ex-gratia amount for police martyrs stands enhanced from Rs 45 lakhs to Rs 1 crore for personnel up to the rank of assistant sub-inspectors and Rs 1.25 crores for sub-inspectors, respectively, Rs 1.25 crore for Inspectors from Rs 50 lakhs, Rs 1.5 crore for deputy superintendents of police and additional superintendents of police and Rs 2 crores for superintendents of police and IPS officers from the previous Rs 1 crore. Home Guards personnel killed on duty are eligible for Rs 10 lakhs, up from Rs 5 lakhs earlier.
Lives of all police personnel are as precious as in any other state. They serve the nation, not just the state. Uniformity in grant of solatium by all states irrespective of the rank of martyrs needs to be discussed and decided at the annual DGs/IGs conference held in November each year.
The writer is a retired CRPF IGP.