NEW DELHI, Oct 20: Even after 31,895 sacrifices in the last 53 years in the line of duty, the honour of being called a “martyr” still eludes the jawans and officers of paramilitary and police forces in the country as the nation commemorates their valour yet again tomorrow.
The personnel of the three Armed forces of the country — Army, Navy and Air Force — are called ‘martyrs’ when they are killed during duty, but there is no official notification or order till date in the country which states that men and women of police and paramilitary forces who get killed in anti-Naxal operations or while rendering internal security duties regularly are honoured as ‘shaheed’.
Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will lead the nation on the occasion of the Police Commemoration Day at the police memorial here tomorrow while similar tributes and wreath laying services at ‘shaheed’ tombs will be held in various states.
“There seems to be only lip service being done for these men and women who get killed almost every other day in the line of duty, either in Naxal operations or fighting militants or terrorists in the country.
“Is it not unfair with these troopers when they are not given the credit that they deserve?” General Secretary of the all India central paramilitary forces association P S Nair told PTI.
“It is not about the desire for the word or the categorisation, but about the respect and honour that is long overdue to these personnel,” Nair said.
The Union Home Ministry, which is the controlling authority for these forces, had written to state governments in this regard earlier this year, but a final decision in this regard is still awaited.
A senior paramilitary official, privy to the developments, said the states have to be taken onboard as police forces work under their command and hence a final decision to announce this much deserved honour is pending.
Paramilitary and central police forces have made numerous representations in this regard to the Home Ministry and state governments, saying this honour for the troops who render a variety of security duties from tackling Naxalites to manning Indian borders, will not only act as a morale booster but will also enhance their self-respect.
The central police forces, with an estimated strength of about nine lakh personnel at present, are only authorised to issue pension-related benefits to the killed personnel’s family and receive gallantry and police medals.
Shinde had last year got government orders issued for categorising retired personnel from these forces like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF and RPF as ‘ex-central armed police forces personnel’ on the lines of the three Armed forces which entails few post-retirement benefits in jobs and canteen services.
According to official data, the last time a meeting of Secretaries to decide on the ‘martyr’ categorisation issue was held in 2011 but no consensus had emerged.
Police Commemoration Day is observed on October 21 every year to mark the martyrdom of police personnel killed in Hot Springs in Ladakh in 1959 while thwarting a Chinese attack, and since 1960, tribute services are held across the country to pay respect to all other police and paramilitary men and women killed on duty during the year.
Since 1961, 31,895 police personnel have been killed in the line of duty while during this year (September 2012-August 2013), 579 personnel throughout the country laid down their lives during duty. (PTI)
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