National Police Memorial : Exemplifies the living story of those who laid down their lives while on duty

The National Police Memorial (NPM) campus has a tiered landscape that can accommodate over 750 persons. It provides a panoramic view of the actual podium and ceremonial parade ground in front from various angles at the site. The newly constructed Wall of Valour at NPM, on which names of the martyrs are inscribed, stands as a silent acknowledgement of the bravery and sacrifice of Police personnel who have laid down their lives in the line of duty since Independence.

Significance

The Police Commemoration Day is observed in memory of 10 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel killed on October 20, 1959, in an ambush by Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Hot Spring area. On October 20 every year, we celebrate Police Commemoration Day across the country, but the event, which is organised at NPM, comes in the main highlights. The idea of establishing a National Police Memorial to commemorate the supreme sacrifice being made by hundreds of Policemen every year was suggested in the annual Conference of the DGsP/IGsP, and it was taken up with the Government. The setting up of the National Police Memorial in Delhi was approved by the MHA in 1992.

Highlights

• The central piece of the National Police Memorial is the Central Sculpture, whose design has been conceptualised by the National Gallery of Modern Arts
• The Central Government allocated Rs. 50 crores for construction of the National Police Memorial
• The National Police Memorial commemorates the 34,844 police personnel from all of the central and state police forces in India who have died in the line of duty since the Nation’s Independence
• The Sculpture is a vertical 30 feet tall monolithic granite pillar that is conceived as a primordial yet permanent signal of a sacred space for an officer who is always in the line of duty
• The single block of granite, both polished and unpolished, presents the ebony black granite as a testimony of tolerance and karmic symbolism
• The memorial takes cues from stone building heritage and is modelled on a cenotaph-like tall upright stone erected in ancient times. The human response is to bow in front of a monumental memorial
• Granite as a stone is in itself a witness to human civilisation – it stands as a sentinel amidst the many catastrophes of cultures and absorbs events and experiences
• The ebony shade of black is one that is the essence of all that is of the earth and beyond. The language of defence and protection is as old as history, and therein resides the story of dharma in the life of a Policeman
• For the one who serves is a karma yogi, selfless action is his karma, and it is the fruit of this selfless action that leads him to the eternal river of life. Granite characteristics include strength and durability. The life of a policeman mirrors these qualities. Granite’s longevity in the face of all kinds of catastrophes is a metaphor for the service that an officer gives to society
• The representation of a flame that accompanies the elements exemplifies the living story of service. It symbolises a ceaseless meditative union with the spirit. Man is mortal, but his actions of bravery and courage in the hour of service are immortal. The flame is the insignia of life that lives in the common memory of the community.