As mark of respect to the casualties suffered by its personnel in Pulwama, the CRPF has decided against officially celebrating Holi this year and directed all the formations across the country not to celebrate the festival of colours.
"As a mark of solidarity with the families of our 40 brave jawans who attained martyrdom in Pulwama on 14/02/2019, the Competent Authority has desired that there will be no official Holi celebrations this year in all our formations," reads an internal message circulated to all the formations of the CRPF on Tuesday.
Officials said, in normal case Holi is celebrated a day before the actual observance of the festival and the seniormost official of the force in all the formations meet all the personnel under his or her command, wishes them and offers sweets and snacks.
However, the programme has been cancelled this year as a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber hit his explosive-laden car into a bus of the CRPF convoy on February 14 killing 40 men which triggered air raid by the Indian Air Force in Balakot at the terror group's facility.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has also decided to skip Holi celebrations as a mark of respect to the Pulwama martyrs.