Pune Police to Pay Tribute to 191 Martyrs on Police Commemoration Day on October 21
Pune Police to Pay Respect to Martyrs on Police Commemoration Day on October 21; Representative Image
Pune will observe Police Commemoration Day on October 21, 2026, with a tribute to police personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr Raghunath Mashelkar will pay homage to the martyrs at 8 am at the Police Research Centre on Pashan Road, Pune.
A total of 191 police personnel of various ranks across India sacrificed their lives while performing their duties between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026. The list includes Police Constable Deepak Chinna Mandavi from Gadchiroli and Police Constable Navalsing Hawalya Vasave, attached to the Additional Director General of Police (Traffic), Mumbai, from Maharashtra.
Police Commemoration Day is observed across India every year on October 21 to honour police officers and personnel who died in the line of duty. The day commemorates the sacrifice of 10 Indian police personnel who were killed in a clash with Chinese forces at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959, while on patrol near the India-China border at an altitude of around 18,000 feet.
The 10 personnel who lost their lives were Puran Singh, Dharam Singh, Ingit Suba, Norbu Lama, Shivnath Prasad, Tshering Norbu, Imam Singh, Sawan Singh, Begraj and Makhanlal. Nine other personnel were captured by the enemy in an injured condition. The bodies of the martyrs were handed over to India on November 13, 1959, and their last rites were conducted with full honours at Hot Springs the following morning.
Following the incident, police forces across the country resolved to observe October 21 every year as Police Martyrs’ Day. Since then, the day has been marked by police forces across India to remember and honour personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Darade and other senior police officers will attend the tribute ceremony at the Police Research Centre on Pashan Road.
Citizens and media representatives have been requested to reach the venue before 7.50 am on October 21 to pay their respects to the police martyrs.
