India may soon observe its first official National Police Flag Day on October 21, similar to Armed Forces Flag Day, which officials said on Sunday has been observed in honour of soldiers and veterans since 1949.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is expected to notify the protocol in the coming days to formally honour serving police personnel as well as those killed in the line of duty while upholding the country’s internal security.
While some States have held isolated Police Flag Day events in the past, no national observance has brought both the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and State police forces together under a single framework.
Officials said the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) will observe the day and distribute commemorative stickers on October 21. The date is, of course, very significant as it is already observed as National Police Commemoration Day in memory of the 10 CRPF personnel who laid down their lives on October 21, 1959, when Chinese troops ambushed their patrol in the Hot Springs area of Ladakh while they were on duty guarding the border.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lead the national tribute and lay a wreath at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. A joint column of CAPFs will march past at the memorial as part of the programme.
The memorial, dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Police Commemoration Day in 2018, features a 30-foot granite cenotaph, the Wall of Valour engraved with the names of fallen personnel since Independence, and a museum chronicling the history of policing in India.
Armed Forces Flag Day (observed every year on 7th December since 1949) involves giving out small flags and stickers to the public in return for voluntary contributions that go toward the welfare of serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans, war widows, and the families of martyrs.
The proposed Police Flag Day would be a similar ‘National Day of Recognition and public appreciation of the police’ who are the guardians of internal security and law and order in the country.
CAPFs will also be running a series of programmes from 21st October to 31st October in connection with National Unity Day (the birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel), with events in Gujarat expected to be held in the presence of the PM. The official said introducing a dedicated Police Flag Day is long overdue.