1,466 policemen sacrificed lives for the last 20 years in J

Jammu, Oct 21 (UNI) Remembering the heroes of the nation on Police Commemoration Day-2008, the senior officers of Jammu and Kashmir Police today paid tributes to hundreds of martyrs, who sacrificed their lives during the anti-insurgency operations for the last two decades in the state.

At a function held here, tributes were paid to the policemen, who sacrificed their lives for the integrity of the nation and in service of the police.

''Annual National Police Day is being observed countrywide and it is the time when we remember those who sacrificed for the cause and in the honours of the state and the country,'' a senior police officer said in his address.

''Since for the past two decades, 1,466 cops, including 879 policemen, 457 Special Police Officers (SPOs) and 130 members of Village Defence Committees (VDCs) laid down their lives during the anti-insurgency operations,'' the officer told UNI.

He further said that during this period, 29811 AK Rifles, 1020 UMGs, 10788 pistols and revolvers, 37.85 lakh AK rounds, 2.12 lakh pistol rounds, 382 snipper rifles, 12,386 kilograms of RDX and 6,213 wireless sets besides other arms and ammunition were recovered from the militants.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu Zone K Rajendra led the commemoration parade at the function and paid homage to the martyrs of police and paramilitary forces for their supreme sacrifices.

''The Day is observed as Police Martyrs Day, countrywide in the memory of those, who laid their precious lives while guarding the nation's integrity and sovereignty, against the vicious intent of a discredited enemy,'' Mr Rajendra said.

''Not only in the anti-insurgency operations, Jammu and Kashmir Police has been rendering services to the nation and the society under most hostile, difficult and hazardous circumstances at the cost of their personal comforts, family life also during natural calamities,'' the IGP asserted.

The Day is being observed annually in memory of ten-member CRPF patrol party deployed at Hot springs Ladakh, on Indo-Chinese Border, who laid down their lives while fighting the enemy forces on October 21, 1959.

Despite less number of troops, they fought to the last man and sacrificed their lives for the security, safety and sovereignty of the nation and since then the day is being observed every year by holding commemoration parades and laying of wreaths.

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