NEW DELHI, October 21 — The Union Minister of Home Affairs led the nation in paying solemn tributes to fallen police and paramilitary personnel at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi on Tuesday on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day 2026.
Observed annually on October 21, the day commemorates the supreme sacrifice of ten Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel led by Sub-Inspector Karam Singh who were martyred on October 21, 1959 at Hot Springs in Eastern Ladakh while defending India's borders against heavily armed Chinese troops. During the ceremonial parade, the names of 216 police and CAPF personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty over the past year were inscribed into the national Roll of Honour.
The Home Minister highlighted comprehensive welfare reforms executed for security forces, including universal coverage under Ayushman CAPF healthcare cards, dedicated ex-gratia financial assistance via the Bharat Ke Veer corpus, and modernized forensic and digital policing infrastructure under the Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF) scheme.
The historical significance of the 1959 Hot Springs incident in Ladakh, the architectural symbolism of the National Police Memorial (dedicated in October 2018), the constitutional placement of 'Police' and 'Public Order' under State List (List-II) of the Seventh Schedule, and the mandate of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are core topics for UPSC CAPF, CDS, and state police service exams.