Commemoration Parade Held At SKPA Udhampur:

Udhampur, KNT: The Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy (SKPA) Udhampur on Tuesday organised a solemn commemoration parade at its campus in memory of martyrs from various State Police forces and central agencies who laid down their lives in the line of duty between September 1, 2024, and August 31, 2025.

The event was held to honour the sacrifices of personnel from the Police, BSF, CISF, CRPF, Fire Services, Civil Defence, Home Guards, ITBP, NDRF, SSB and NCB who rendered commendable service while upholding national security and public safety.

Garib Dass, IPS, Additional Director General of Police and Director SKPA Udhampur, took the salute at the commemoration parade. Addressing the gathering, he recalled the origin of Police Commemoration Day, which dates back to October 21, 1959, when a patrol party of the Central Reserve Police Force led by Sub-Inspector Karam Singh was ambushed by Chinese forces at Hot Springs in Ladakh.

Ten CRPF personnel attained martyrdom in the encounter while defending the nation’s frontiers at an altitude of 16,000 feet in freezing conditions.

“The courage displayed by those brave men remains unmatched and continues to inspire generations of police personnel across the country,” Garib Dass said. He added that every year, a delegation of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, along with representatives of various police forces, visits Hot Springs in Ladakh to pay homage to the martyrs of 1959.

On the occasion, the names of 191 martyrs from across the country were read out, honouring those who made the supreme sacrifice over the past year.

Senior police officers, including Shri Rajinder Kumar Gupta, IPS, Dy. Director (Indoor), Shri Rajesh Bali, IPS, SSP Dy. Director (Admn), Shri Benam Tosh, JKPS, SSP Dy. Director (Outdoor), Shri Ashish Gupta, JKPS, SP AD (Training & R&D), and other officers and staff of the academy participated in the ceremony. Probationary Deputy Superintendents of Police, Probationary Sub-Inspectors, and officers undergoing upper and pre-promotion courses also attended the event.

The officers and trainees laid floral wreaths at the Shaheedi Smark to pay their rich tributes to the martyrs. The ceremony concluded with the observance of a two-minute silence in remembrance of the fallen heroes who devoted their lives to the service of the nation. [KNT]