‘Peace possible due to your services’: PM inaugurates police memorial

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated the refurbished National Police Memorial, including a newly built museum of these forces, to the nation on the occasion of police commemoration day. He also paid tributes to the policemen killed in an ambush by Chinese troops in 1959 at Hot Spring area in Ladakh.

The Prime Minister also honoured the survivors of the Hot Spring incident.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior BJP leader L K Advani also paid homage to the martyred policemen.

Addressing the gathering at National Police Memorial, PM Modi hailed the police personnel for their efforts in ensuring peace in the country.

“It is the result of your (police) alertness that the elements which create unrest are unsuccessful in their attempts. The attempts to create fear and insecurity in the nation were foiled by you. The peace prevalent in the nation is possible only due to your services,” the Prime Minister said.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also remembered the soldiers, who are on duty in Jammu and Kashmir and Naxal-hit areas and lauded their efforts.

“It is the day to remember every jawan who maintains law and peace in Jammu and Kashmir and fights against terrorism. Jawans on duty in Naxal-affected areas are doing a great service. It's also due to them that the number of Naxal affected districts is going down and the youth is coming to the mainstream,” he said.

Hours before inaugurating the memorial, PM Modi tweeted: "A grateful nation pays tributes to all those policemen and policewomen martyred in the line of duty. We salute their families for their fortitude."

Ministers of state in the Home Ministry Kiren Rijiju and Hansram G Ahir, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval along with senior officers and personnel of various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and state police forces were present during the event.

Earlier, CRPF Director General R R Bhatnagar said that the about 3.25-lakh personnel strong paramilitary has been the recipient of the maximum gallantry awards over the years for action in Naxal violence hit and militancy affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir and north eastern states, news agency PTI reported.

The family members of the personnel who died in the line of duty were invited to the event, officials said.

The memorial has been erected on 6.12 acres of land in Chanakyapuri, at the northern end of Shanti Path and it represents all state and union territories' police forces as well as central police organisations of the country.

Over 34,000 police personnel have been killed in action till now in the country and during the last about one year time (September 1, 2017 to October, 31 this year) a total of 414 personnel have laid down their lives or died due to unnatural reasons, a latest data said.

The national police museum depicts the history, artefacts, uniform and gear of central and state police forces.