Bhubaneswar: The 66th Police Commemoration Day was celebrated at the State Police Headquarters, with DGP YB Khurania as the chief guest. DGP YB Khurania laid floral wreaths and offered solemn homage to the brave police personnel who lost their lives serving the nation, especially the 191 martyrs recorded this year across India.
The ceremony included a two‑minute silence and heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen. This year, 191 police personnel from various Central Armed Police Forces and State Police across India sacrificed their lives, bringing honour to the motherland.
On this occasion, tributes were paid to Constable 475 Laxman Majhi of 2nd IR Bn, Rayagada, and OAPF 353 Loknath Sabar of UPD, Cuttack, who died while discharging their duties. Their families were specially invited to the State Police Headquarters to participate in the solemn ceremony. DGP Khurania interacted with the bereaved families, conveyed his condolences, and remarked that their sacrifice and dedication will remain eternally cherished by the State Police.
DGP Khuraniya remarked that the number of martyrs, once alarmingly high, has dropped significantly thanks to the relentless efforts of security forces. He praised the courage of officers operating in Jammu‑Kashmir, Punjab, the Northeast and Naxal‑affected districts, noting that peace has been restored in many insurgency‑hit zones.
DGP said, “Thanks to the bravery of our state’s courageous police personnel, we have established peace and security in Naxal‑affected areas and will continue those efforts in the days ahead.”
This year’s martyrs came from across the country: 5 from Andhra Pradesh, 1 from Arunachal Pradesh, 2 from Assam, 8 from Bihar, 16 from Chhattisgarh, 3 from Gujarat, 1 from Jharkhand, 8 from Karnataka, 1 from Kerala, 11 from Madhya Pradesh, 1 from Maharashtra, 3 from Manipur, 1 from Nagaland, 2 from Odisha, 3 from Punjab, 7 from Rajasthan, 6 from Tamil Nadu, 5 from Telangana, 2 from Tripura, 3 from Uttar Pradesh, 4 from Uttarakhand, 12 from West Bengal, 2 from Chandigarh, 8 from Delhi, 14 from Jammu & Kashmir, 1 from Ladakh, 2 from Assam Rifles, 23 from BSF, 6 from CISF, 9 from CRPF, 5 from ITBP, 6 from SSB, 1 from NDIA, and 9 from RPF.
Senior officials including DGP (Crime Branch) Vinaytosh Mishra, Director (Intelligence) RP Koche, ADG (Anti‑Naxal Ops) Sanjeeb Panda, ADG (Modernisation) SK Priyadarshi, Director (SFSL) Santosh Bala, ADG (HQ) Arun Bothra, ADG (Vigilance) Asheet Kumar Panigrahi, ADG (Law & Order) Sanjay Kumar, Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, ADG (Communication) Dayal Gangwar and ADG (SAP) Rajesh Kumar were among those present.
The ceremony concluded with a reaffirmation of the force’s commitment to serve the public and uphold security across the state.