Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], October 21 (ANI): Police Commemoration Day was observed on Tuesday with solemn respect and gratitude at the Sector 17 ground near the police station, where a ceremonial parade was held in memory of police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

Four contingents, three from the UT Police and one from Punjab Police participated in the parade.

Director General of Police (DGP) Dr. Sagar Preet Hooda, SSP (Traffic and Security) Sumer Pratap Singh, SSP (UT) Kanwardeep Kaur, and other senior officers paid floral tributes at the Police Martyrs' Memorial.

During the ceremony, DGP Dr. Hooda read out the names of police personnel across the country who sacrificed their lives in the past year while safeguarding the nation. All officers and personnel observed a two-minute silence in their memory.

Recalling the origin of the commemoration, DGP Hooda said the day is observed every year in remembrance of the 10 CRPF personnel who were martyred on October 21, 1959, when Chinese troops ambushed an Indian police patrol in Ladakh. Since then, October 21 has been marked as Police Commemoration Day across all Central Police Organizations and State Police Forces to honor their supreme sacrifices.

This year, tributes were paid to Inspector Jagjit Singh, Inspector Sucha Singh, Sub-Inspector Amarjit Singh, ASI Lalu Ram, ASI Amarjit Singh, ASI Amin Chand, Head Constable Sukhjinder Singh, Constable Sukhdarshan, and Home Guard Volunteer Rajesh Kumar.

Inspector Jagjit Singh, who joined Chandigarh Police as an ASI in 1972, was martyred in 1988 while leading a raid on a suspected hideout in Sector 45, where he gunned down three terrorists before succumbing to bullet injuries.

ASI Amin Chand, who joined as a constable in 1981, and ASI Lalu Ram, who was deputed from Punjab Police in 1978, were killed on August 29, 1991, when terrorists detonated a bomb fitted in SSP Sumedh Singh Saini's car near the bank head office in Sector 17. Both died on the spot while the SSP sustained injuries.

SI Amarjit Singh, who joined Punjab Police in 1973, was killed on February 25, 1992, when terrorists attacked a police convoy escorting prisoners for medical treatment at PGIMER. Despite being gravely injured, he fought bravely until his last breath.

ASI Amarjit Singh was martyred on December 8, 1989, when motorcycle-borne terrorists opened fire on him during patrol duty near Kajheri village.

Inspector Sucha Singh, who joined Chandigarh Police in 1976, lost his life on June 8, 2013, while questioning a suspicious couple near the District Court complex in Sector 17. The accused attacked him with a knife, leading to his martyrdom.

In addition to these heroes, three police personnel, Head Constable Sukhjinder Singh, Constable Sukhdarshan, and Home Guard Volunteer Rajesh Kumar were martyred in separate road accidents while on duty during the past year.

Addressing with Media, SSP UT Chandigarh Kanwardeep Kaur said, 'Today, on Police Commemoration Day, the entire Chandigarh Police force stands united in paying tribute to our brave martyrs, Head Constable Sukhjinder Singh, Constable Sukhdarshan, and Home Guard Volunteer Rajesh Kumar who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. We pray for their eternal peace and reaffirm our commitment to support their families. They remain an inseparable part of the police family.'

She added that financial assistance and welfare support are extended to the families of martyrs under various government schemes and departmental policies.

The ceremony concluded with wreath-laying, a salute to the martyrs, and the national anthem. (ANI)