Mangaluru: The city police observed ‘Police Martyrs Day’ on Friday, October 21 to pay their respects to the policemen who laid down their lives to secure the nation from external aggression. The sacrifice of 473 policemen during their duty was paid tribute by the police officers at the DAR grounds.
Dakshina Kannada District Deputy Commissioner Dr. Jagadeesha and Dakshina Kannada District Sessions Judge K S Bilagi received Guard of Honour and following this Dr Jagadeesha and K S Bilagi paid homage to the police martyrs along with Police Commissioner Chandra Sekhar and Superintendent of Police Bhushan Borase.
The Superintendent of Police then read out the names of the policemen who sacrificed their lives for the country from 2015 till August 31, 2016. He also showered praises on the 473 policemen who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
K S Bilagi said that there is a special relationship between the Police and Judges. “Police present cases to the judges and the judges deliver judgement regarding the case. The two services to the government goes hand in hand all the time to keep crime under check”, he added.
He went on to say that the duty of each policeman is a noble one as many of them sacrifice a safe life to a life that has hazards and life threatening consequences. “Policemen dedicate their lives to support and protect the citizens of our country but when they lay down their lives, we all live our lives and die but very few of use become martyrs. As citizens of the nation we must encourage the police in every way possible, the Government and public must help the police force so that more join the police force”, he added.
Speaking about the police lives sacrificed, Commissioner of Police, Chandra Sekhar said that it is important to remember the policemen who have lost their lives while standing guard against aggressors and external or internal threats. “On a day to day basis, policemen keep vigil over hooliganism, naxal attacks and terrorism to which many policemen have laid down their lives. Since the police force is the first line of defense, we are ready to take on aggressions but casualties can be expected”, he said.
“Apart from the risk we face, we also can not spend much time with our loved ones nor can we plan holiday tours since we work for about 15 hours a day. The police force is making a lot of sacrifices and the people of the country should know about it”, he said on a personal note and stressed about the receiving support from the mass media to convey the story of policemen to the people.
Deputy Commissioner Dr. Jagadeesha compared the policemen to soldiers and said that the soldiers protect the borders of the country and policemen secure law and order inside the country. He also mentioned how the ASP invited him home during his probation period but did not get a chance to have dinner with him because the ASP was getting emergency calls and had to rush to duty. “It was saddening for me to see him leave his dinner and family members to go out on duty without wasting a moment”, Dr. Jagadeesha said.
The Police Martyr’s Day was also attended by Law and Order DCP Shantharaju, Crime and Traffic DCP Dr. Sanjeev M Patil, ACP Shruti, ACP Tilakchandra, ACP Uday Nayak, ASP Rishyanth, Chief Warden Joe Gonsalves among others. A parallel commemoration ceremony was held in Udupi on the same day.
