Director General of Police K Ramanujam on Monday paid floral tributes at the memorial at the State Police Headquarters on Kamarajar Salai on Commemoration Day, in remembrance of the police personnel who had lost their lives while on duty.
The DGP also read out the names of the police personnel who lost their lives and under the circumstances in which they had died.
Ramanujam recalled that 10 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in the sudden attack by Chinese Forces at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959.
“Then onward, the same day is being observed to commemorate the demise of police personnel across the country”, he said. As many as 576 police personnel across the country were killed in encounters with criminals, Ramanujam said.
“Let us vow to complete the unfinished tasks of those who laid down their lives to protect the public,” he added.
He recalled how three police personnel were killed in the past one year under various circumstances.
Sub-Inspector Allwyn Sudhan was killed while attempting to control an angry mob on Maruthupandiar Memorial Day observed at Sivaganga last year. The mob of 22 went on the rampage on a police vehicle and assaulted a DSP and Inspector. Allwyn Sudhan, who sustained injuries, died while being rushed to the hospital.
Similarly, Kathiresan, a Special Sub-Inspector, was assaulted while on night patrol by one Veeramuthu who was inebriated. Kathiresan, who was admitted to a hospital in Chennai, died on January 28.
In another incident, Thiagarajan, a head-constable, sustained injuries when he was attacked at the residence of a criminal. The policeman succumbed to his injuries on May 25 at a private hospital in the city.
In the country, Jharkhand topped the chart with 40 personnel killed on duty, followed by Chhattisgarh with 37 police personnel, he added.