Lucknow, Oct 21 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the names of police martyrs were etched not merely on memorials but in the nation’s moral conscience.
The chief minister made these remarks on Police Commemoration Day after paying tribute to personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
Addressing a memorial parade organised in Lucknow on the occasion, Adityanath said the courage and sacrifice of the police martyrs reminded the nation of its collective responsibility towards those who safeguard its citizens.
“That is why the names of martyrs are not merely inscribed on memorials; they are etched in the moral conscience of the nation,” he said.
The chief minister said a nation’s greatness depended on how it honoured its heroes, values and the contributions of those whose sacrifices secured its present and made its future possible.
“Some debts can never be repaid. The nation’s debt to its martyrs is one such debt. Today, we have gathered to pay tribute to those brave police personnel who sacrificed their lives while protecting the country, maintaining peace in society and safeguarding citizens,” he said.
The chief minister also announced increases in certain allowances for police personnel. The monthly motorcycle allowance for sub-inspectors and inspectors deployed on field duty will be raised from Rs 700 to Rs 1,000, while the uniform allowance for officers of the Provincial Police Service (PPS) cadre will increase from Rs 6,400 to Rs 15,000. The monthly SIM allowance for constables and head constables deployed on field duty will be raised from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500.
Recalling the role of police personnel during public celebrations, Adityanath said that while people celebrated festivals with their families, police personnel remained alert and performed their duties to ensure that citizens could participate in the festivities without fear.
He said the seemingly ordinary experiences of everyday life, such as children reaching school safely, people stepping out of their homes freely, traders conducting business without fear and citizens receiving assistance during a crisis, were made possible by the continuous efforts of the security establishment.
“Memory reminds us of our heritage and our duties,” he said, adding that freedom fighters brought home the value of independence, while the makers of the Constitution strengthened the commitment to justice, equality and democratic values.
Paying tribute to police martyrs, he said their sacrifice served as a reminder that national security was not merely an institutional arrangement but a continuous responsibility that sometimes required personnel to give up their happiness, dreams and even their lives.
Adityanath also recalled the historical significance of October 21. On this day in 1943, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose established the Azad Hind government, giving India’s freedom struggle a historic dimension. On the same date in 1959, 10 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed while bravely confronting an ambush by Chinese troops at Hot Springs in Ladakh.
“One date in history carries two chapters — one of the resolve for independence and the other of supreme sacrifice in the defence of the nation,” he said.
The chief minister also referred to the National Police Memorial, dedicated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, saying it represented an effort to preserve the glorious history, courage and sacrifices of police forces for future generations.
He said every name inscribed at the memorial represented a life filled with personal aspirations, family responsibilities and dreams that were set aside when duty called.
“We may not know all the circumstances of their lives, but we can certainly understand the significance of their final decision,” he said.
Adityanath said UP’s vast population, social diversity, economic potential, cultural heritage, agricultural strength, industrial aspirations and young population offered it significant opportunities to contribute to the country’s development.
However, he said, these possibilities could translate into actual achievements only when the rule of law was strict, citizens were aware of their rights and security and justice were firmly established in society.
Senior officials, including Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna, Director General of Police (PAC) Alok Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Prasad and Lucknow Mayor Sushma Kharkwal along with family members of police martyrs attended the event.
In his address, Adityanath said 154 police personnel across the country had laid down their lives in the line of duty over the past year, including six from UP.
The personnel were Sub-Inspector Satyabhan Singh, Sub-Inspector Mohit Kumar Yadav, Constable Ashok Kumar, Constable Pradeep Kumar, Fire Service Driver Veerpal Singh and Fireman Mohit Kumar, Adityanath said.
He said more than Rs 425 crore had so far been provided as financial assistance to the dependants of police personnel who died in the line of duty.
Adityanath said the state’s police training capacity had increased from 6,000 personnel at a time before 2017 to 60,000 at a time.
He said the police commissionerate system had been implemented in seven major cities of UP.
Under the state’s Kushal Khiladi Yojana, 1,000 medal-winning sportspersons are serving in the UP Police, the chief minister said. He cited athletes and players including Parul Chaudhary in athletics, Arjun Deshwal in kabaddi, Deepti Sharma in cricket and Rajkumar Pal in hockey, who have won medals at the Asian Games.
He also referred to the construction of a modern forensic institute in Lucknow on land freed from mafia occupation, and said every district had a cyber police station while every police station had a cyber help desk.
(PTI News)
