Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on October 21 paid homage to the martyrs of Jammu Kashmir Police (JKP) at the Commemoration Day parade at the Police Memorial in Zewan, Srinagar. In his address, Sinha said the JKP is an epitome of duty, discipline, loyalty and selfless service. He said that our brave J&K Police personnel have always prioritized nation’s development and lives of their fellow citizens above their own.
“They have kept Tricolour flying high even at the cost of their own life,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
Sinha also expressed his deepest gratitude to J&K Police’s brave police personnel and their families for keeping citizens safe and upholding the rule of law. “While fighting terrorism, enforcing laws, investigating crimes or responding to emergencies like the recent natural calamities, the J&K Police’s commitment is to their duty first,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor also stated that the deep love for the Tricolour is a fundamental reason for our brave J&K Police personnel to serve the motherland with utmost devotion and dedication and to make supreme sacrifices. “The glorious legacy of our police personnel lives on and their supreme sacrifices are inspiring future generations to serve and uphold the values of our great country. J&K Police need to be always be ready to eliminate terrorist threats,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
Sinha called upon the five pillars of the criminal justice system—police, prosecution, judiciary, forensics, and prison to actively support development and ensure justice for all.
He also stressed the need to adopt innovation and smart technology to strengthen policing, and enable an effective response to new crime trends, drug smuggling, and false narratives in Jammu Kashmir.
The LG reaffirmed his commitment to the welfare of police personnel and their families. He highlighted that J&K Police is implementing numerous programs to ensure that the families of brave martyrs of J&K Police live a life of comfort and dignity.
Nalin Prabhat, DGP of J&K Police, read the names of brave-hearts of police who made supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. The arms were reversed and a two-minute silence was observed in the honour of the martyrs. Four policemen had sacrificed their lives battling terrorists in Kathua this year around six months ago. The LG also visited the Blood Donation Camp organized to mark the occasion.
After the outbreak of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the then state of Jammu and Kashmir, Station House Officer (SHO) of Kothibagh police station was the first policemen to be killed. As such, he is officially talked of as the first police martyr. Incidentally, hundreds of policemen have led down their lives in J&K in the line of duty.
The first policeman to be martyred in the J&K (J&K) Police was Inspector Saidullah, who was killed in 1989. The Jammu and Kashmir Police has a long history of sacrifice, but the year 1989 marked a significant turning point with the beginning of militancy in the Kashmir valley. This terrorism had then spread to areas lying south of Pir Panjal mountains in the Jammu region.
The year 199-0 saw increased violence and a major upheaval in Kashmir, during which the J&K Police played a crucial role and sustained heavy losses. It took time and relentless efforts, better weapons, improved intelligence network, coordination with Border Security Force (BSF) which was initially given charge of the entire Kashmir valley to stem the rot.
Since 1989, the J&K Police have made immense sacrifices as its personnel were targeted through shootings, improvised explosive devices (IEDs). At one time, as recently as August 2018, terrorists targeted even family members of the police personnel and kidnapped 11 of them. However, they were all left unharmed as the police did a sort of tit for tat and arrested family members of terrorists.
