New Delhi, 21 October (H.S.): Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Wednesday paid tribute to police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day. On the occasion, he also flagged off a nationwide motorcycle rally carrying the message of the fight against drug abuse.

The Police Commemoration Day programme was attended by Members of Parliament Krishna Prasad Tenneti and Rajiv Kumar, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Mahesh Dixit, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General Shatrujeet Kapoor, along with the directors general of other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and several senior officials.

Addressing the gathering, Shah said that nearly eight decades after independence, India occupies a respected position in the world today, built on the sacrifices of its brave security personnel. He emphasised that it was impossible to imagine where the country would stand today had these personnel not made the supreme sacrifice to safeguard internal security and protect the nation’s borders.

The Home Minister described 2026 as an exceptionally significant year for the Indian police. He said that on March 31, 2026, the country had freed itself from Naxalism, which had troubled India for decades. From 1981 until March 2026, the country had endured severe consequences because of Naxalism, with more than 3,600 security personnel losing their lives and nearly 13,700 innocent civilians being killed during this period.

Shah said he wanted the families of the martyred personnel to know that the sacrifices of those 3,600 security personnel had laid the foundation for the country’s progress as it moved forward after overcoming a problem that had persisted for five decades. Addressing the bereaved families, he said that while their loss could never be compensated, the entire nation of 1.4 billion people remained grateful for their families’ dedication and sacrifice.

Recounting the history of Police Commemoration Day, Shah said that on October 21, 1959, ten personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid down their lives while bravely resisting an attack by Chinese forces in the remote Hot Springs area of Ladakh.

He said that a study of the Hot Springs incident made it clear that when the decisive confrontation took place in the high-altitude mountains, the outcome may have appeared almost predetermined. Nevertheless, the brave personnel remained committed to ensuring that not even an inch of Indian territory fell into foreign hands and made the supreme sacrifice in defence of the nation. Since then, October 21 has been observed every year as Police Commemoration Day.

The Home Minister said that India had faced several major challenges over the years, three of which had persisted for decades: the situation in Kashmir, challenges in the Northeast, and the threat of Left-Wing Extremism, often referred to as the “Red Terror”. He said that peace had now been established in these three major trouble spots, creating an environment conducive to development and enabling the regions to participate in the country’s broader development journey.

Shah stressed, however, that India had not yet become entirely free of challenges. He said the Ministry of Home Affairs had set an ambitious target of eliminating the country’s drug problem by December 31, 2029, through a coordinated nationwide campaign. The campaign would cover the remaining part of 2026 and the years 2027, 2028 and 2029—a period of approximately three and a half years.

He said drug abuse was hollowing out future generations, placing an unnecessary burden on the economy and frequently providing financial support to organisations involved in anti-national activities through drug trafficking.

The Home Minister called upon police forces across the country to work with complete commitment to implement the roadmap for a “Drug-Free India”, prepared under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He urged them to join the coordinated effort to protect future generations from the harmful effects of drugs.

The nationwide motorcycle rally flagged off by Shah includes approximately 90 riders representing states and Union Territories such as Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi. Personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces—including the CRPF, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Security Guard (NSG)—are also participating. The rally further includes representatives of central police organisations such as the Railway Protection Force (RPF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and National Investigation Agency (NIA).

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar