CHENNAI: Director General of Police (DGP) JK Tripathy lead police officers, defence staff and retired police officers in paying tributes to personnel who laid their lives in the line of duty, on the occasion of the Police Commemoration Day on Wednesday.
In the campus of DGP’s office on Kamarajar Salai, Tripathy placed a wreath and paid respects to the personnel at Martyrs’ Column. He was followed by former national security adviser MK Narayanan, Lieutenant General P N Rao, General Officer Commanding Dakshin Bharath Area, Rear Admiral Puneet Chadha, Flag Officer Commanding Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Naval Area, Inspector General S Paramesh, Commander of Coast Guard Region -East, City Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, Chennai District Collector R Seethalakshmi and other officers.
As many as 264 police personnel who lost their lives from September 1 last year till August 31 of this year were remembered. At the martyr’s column, stone slabs with the pictures and names of the deceased were set in a row.
The pictures of inspector Periyapandian, who was killed in Rajasthan in 2017, SI Wilson who was killed by extremists in Kanniyakumari and constable Subramaniam who died when an accused threw a country bomb in Thoothukudi were placed along with their names.
Kavitha, wife of S Balamurali, inspector, who succumbed to Covid-19, the family of police who laid their lives during the pandemic also participated and paid respects to the departed souls.The solemn occasion drew to a close with gun salute by the Armed Reserve Police personnel.
Police Commemoration Day is observed every year on October 21 in memory of CRPF personnel who died at Hot Springs in Ladakh while fighting Chinese troops in 1959.