Police Commemoration Day 2026 – 21 Oct; Amit Shah leads homage at the National Police Memorial, Delhi
21-10-2026 · English
Topics: Important Days · 21 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)
News
Police Commemoration Day, honouring police personnel who died on duty, is observed across India on 21 Oct 2026. Union Home Minister Amit Shah leads the ceremony at the National Police Memorial, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, with a joint parade of the CAPFs and Delhi Police; he also flags off an anti-drug motorcycle rally. From 22 to 30 Oct police forces nationwide hold rallies and blood-donation camps. This year's number of police martyrs had not been released at the time of writing.
Key facts
| Date | 21 October (annual) |
| Origin | 21 Oct 1959 – Hot Springs, Ladakh: 10 CRPF personnel killed in an ambush by Chinese troops |
| National Memorial | Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – dedicated to the nation by PM Narendra Modi on 21 Oct 2018 |
| Memorial features | 30-ft granite monolith central sculpture, Wall of Valour, museum |
| 2026 event | Led by Amit Shah; CAPF–Delhi Police joint parade; anti-drug motorcycle rally |
| Constitution | 'Police' – Seventh Schedule, State List (Entry 2); 'Public order' – Entry 1 |
Background
- History: until autumn 1959 the India–Tibet border was guarded by the police. A CRPF patrol led by Karam Singh, searching for three missing men, was ambushed by Chinese troops at Hot Springs; 10 were killed and others taken prisoner. Since then 21 Oct is observed as Police Commemoration Day.
- Polity: Article 246 – three lists of the Seventh Schedule. Police and public order are in the State List, so law and order is a State responsibility. The Central Armed Police Forces (CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB) are under the Union Home Ministry.
- Institutions: Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) – 28 Aug 1970, Union Home Ministry. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy – Hyderabad (IPS training). India's first all-women police station – Kozhikode, Kerala (1973).
Tamil Nadu link: Tamil Nadu Police (Madras Police) was formed in 1859 under the Madras District Police Act; HQ – Kamarajar Salai, Mylapore, Chennai (Marina). Women were first inducted in 1973. The State's first All Women Police Station was opened at Thousand Lights, Chennai, in 1992 by then CM J. Jayalalithaa; in 2003 Tamil Nadu formed India's first women commando unit.
Source: NewsBytes (19 Oct 2026); CRPF website; Aviation-Defence-Universe (21 Oct 2025); Madras Musings (Golden jubilee of women in TN Police)
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