https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Remembering The Brave On Police Commemoration Day

Indian Masterminds’ special feature on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day. India remembers the police personnel who made the supreme sacrifice on October 21, 1959. Top police officials paid their homage to the martyrs and shared their emotions on this solemn occasion.
Indian Masterminds Stories

The year was 1959. Tensions between India and China were at their peak. It all began on October 20 of the same year when a location called Hot Springs in Aksai Chin in Ladakh, situated between 15,000 and 16,000 ft above sea level on the Indo-Tibet border, was being manned by the Indian Police. The Indo-Tibetan Border Force, made up of members of the CRPF and other forces, was deployed to defend the border after the Chinese Army’s operations increased.

In North Eastern Ladakh’s Hot Springs, three scouting groups of the CRPF’s 3rd Battalion were sent out. This was done to facilitate the movement of an Indian expedition that was headed for Lanak La. By the afternoon of that day, members of two parties had returned to the Springs, but the third party, which was made up of two police constables and a porter, had not. 

On October 21, a new contingent made up of all available men under the command of DCIO Karam Singh was organised to look for the missing men. At around midday, the Chinese Army opened fire and threw grenades at the Indian troops as they neared a hillock in Ladakh. What happened next is a tragedy that brought out the bravery and selflessness of our troops, and led to the observation of this day as Police Commemoration Day, every year.

POLICE COMMEMORATION DAY

Since there was no cover to hide behind, 10 out of 20 of our brave police personnel attained martyrdom while seven of the remaining ones sustained major injuries. The seven injured personnel were taken prisoners by the Chinese troops. The Chinese soldiers finally sent the bodies of the martyred police officers to India on November 28, 1959, which was nearly a month later. The funeral of these policemen took place in eastern Ladakh and they were cremated with full police honours at Hot Springs.

A resolution adopted at the Annual Conference of Inspectors General of Police of States and Union Territories in January 1960 established October 21 as Police Commemoration Day/Police Smriti Divas or Martyr’s Day. Additionally, it was decided to build a memorial in Hot Springs, and each year, police officers from all across the nation travel there to pay respects to those brave martyrs.

The day plays a significant role in honouring the spirit of police people and their family members. It is celebrated to pay respect to all those who sacrificed their lives.

IPS OFFICER ANSHU SINGLA SALUTES THE BRAVE

2014-batch IPS officer of the Haryana cadre, Dr. Anshu Singla, currently posted as the DCP Headquarters in Gurugram, remembered the martyrs of October 21, 1959, two of whom she happened to know personally.

“I knew DSP Surinder and Constable Sandeep personally. They laid down their lives in the horrific incident while protecting our nation, and I will always remember their supreme sacrifice,” she said.

She believes that the challenges police personnel face are multi-fold in nature since they are struggling with external and internal forces.

“One can’t fire arms among their own people, but at the same time, it is one’s duty to provide timely justice to their people. We can only win this internal war with affection. Police personnel should possess infinite patience, courage, the strength to forgive, and the strength to punish also if required. Only when we possess all of this would we be able to take action against a person without any bias or hatred towards him or her,” she told Indian Masterminds.

She ended with these words: “My solidarity is with the martyrs and their families, in both my professional and personal capacity.”

Anshu Singla, IPS

IPS OFFICER JIMMY CHIRAM HONOURS THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE

2013-batch IPS officer of AGMUT cadre and currently posted in Arunachal Pradesh, Jimmy Chiram, also paid homage to those who laid down their lives on this day, 63 years ago. He observed the commemoration of the martyrs along with his team, early in the morning in a special ceremony dedicated as a tribute to them.

“We gathered together and saluted the brave police personnel who sacrificed themselves for the nation. We read out the names of the martyrs and observed silence for them. This day is very important for all of us and reminds us of the sacrifices that our people make,” Mr. Chiram shared with Indian Masterminds.

Jimmy Chiram, IPS

REMEMBERING THE BRAVE

On the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, several ministers and officials from across the nation expressed their emotions through their tweets. We present a compilation:

https://twitter.com/MumbaiPolice/status/1583344916721061888

Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
coal-India-limited-scaled
Coal India’s CCL to Operationalize Two New Mines in FY26 to Boost Output by 12 Million Tonnes
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services (IAS)
IAS Ashwani Kumar Takes Charge of Sports and Legislative Affairs in Gujarat; Ankita Mishra Given Excise Charge in Goa
NCRTC
NCRTC Milestone: India’s First Namo Bharat Corridor Set for Full Commissioning After Successful 82 Km High-Speed Trial
ONGC_resized
Latest on Assam’s Gas Leak: ONGC Advances Well Control Efforts, Clears Site for Capping; Residents Return Safely
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services
Delhi: 4 AGMUT Cadre IAS Officers Get Key Postings; Shashwat Saurabh to MCD, Talo Potom as PWD Special Secretary
Bihar police
Bihar: 7 IPS Officers Transferred; Jitendra Rana Takes Charge as Patna IG, Manoj Kumar Tiwari Made SP, Siwan
NTPC
NTPC Achieves Full Commercial Operation of 245 MW Nokh Solar PV Project in Rajasthan
Rekha Gupta Delhi CM
Delhi Police Stripped of Licensing Powers; Civic Bodies Take Charge, CM Rekha Gupta Welcomes Move
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
What ill-fated pilots of AI171 may have gone through in those 40 seconds before the crash? Intro:
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s 27-Year Odyssey with Indian Railways | Exclusive Interview
Monika Singh
The Civil Servant Who Finds Peace in Poetry
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
coal-India-limited-scaled
Coal India’s CCL to Operationalize Two New Mines in FY26 to Boost Output by 12 Million Tonnes
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services (IAS)
IAS Ashwani Kumar Takes Charge of Sports and Legislative Affairs in Gujarat; Ankita Mishra Given Excise Charge in Goa
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
Monika Singh
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT