New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday paid homage to police martyrs at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, on Police Commemoration Day and said that their sacrifice built the foundation for a naxalism-free India. Speaking during the event, HM Shah said, “It is my great privilege to be present here among all of you at the National Police Memorial on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day. Today, we have gathered here to pay tribute to the brave police personnel who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation from Independence to the present day.”HM Shah noted that for nearly eight decades after Independence, “the nation appears to be standing in a position of respect in the world today. The sacrifices of our brave personnel have laid the foundation for this.”“No one can even imagine where we would stand today if these personnel had not made the supreme sacrifice to safeguard internal security and protect the country’s borders,” he said.HM Shah said 2026 was a particularly significant year for the Indian Police, noting that the country was freed from Naxalism on March 31 after decades of violence.“From 1981 until March 2026, the country suffered greatly because of Naxalism. How many innocent security personnel and civilians lost their lives? During this period, more than 3,600 security personnel were martyred, and nearly 13,700 innocent civilians were also killed. Today, on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day at the Police Memorial, I wish to pay my heartfelt tribute to all the personnel who laid down their lives.”

“I also want to tell their families that if the country is now moving forward on the path of development after overcoming this decades-old problem, the sacrifice of these 3,600 personnel forms the foundation of that progress. The entire country expresses its gratitude to you for the sacrifice made by your family members,” he added.HM Shah also recalled the history of Police Commemoration Day.“On October 21, 1959, in the remote Hot Springs area of Ladakh, 10 CRPF personnel laid down their lives while bravely fighting an attack by Chinese forces. Since then, October 21 has been observed every year as Police Commemoration Day. In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National Police Memorial, where we are standing today, dedicated to police personnel from across the country who have been martyred.”“At the same time, this place has become a site of pilgrimage for citizens across the country. Grateful citizens visit here, pay tribute to 36,852 police personnel with heartfelt respect and express the nation’s gratitude to them,” he added."This year, 154 more brave personnel have been added to this list. DIB Mahesh read out their names as a tribute. I wish to bow with folded hands and pay my respects to these martyrs,” said the Union Minister.

HM Shah also praised the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for ensuring peaceful elections in West Bengal.“The elections in Bengal have just concluded. While the country had managed to eliminate electoral violence in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, electoral violence has continued in Bengal for a long time. In every election, 25, 50, 100 or even 200 people have lost their lives,” he said.“I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all CAPF personnel for successfully completing the West Bengal Assembly elections without a single death…everyone believes that the country has become free from electoral violence,” he added.

/IANS