National Police Memorial

The National Police Memorial in India commemorates the 34,844 police personnel from all of the central and state police forces in India who have died in the line of duty since the nation's Independence in 1947. Located in New Delhi's Chanakyapuri area, the memorial consists of a tall and heavy black granite central sculpture, a museum and a 'Wall of Valour' bearing the names of all 34,844 police personnel who have died in the line of duty. The underground museum is the first police museum of its kind in India, and showcases over 2000 years of policing in the region, since the time of Kautilya's system of law and order in 310 BCE. The renovated and refurbished memorial and museum was inaugurated by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, on 21 October 2018, which is also the Police Commemoration Day (Police Martyr's Day) in India. Historical background The National Police Memorial commemorates the police personnel who died in the fight against terrorism, militancy and insurgency in states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and red corridor-affected regions in India. The memorial also commemorates the large number of police lives which were lost in prevention of crime and in maintenance of law and order. The memorial was first conceptualised in 1984, but the plan to have a National Police Memorial was only first proposed when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister. The home minister at the time, L. K. Advani, laid the foundation stone. The earlier memorial was a structure of steel. But it was dismantled in 2008 on the order of the Delhi High Court as it violated environmental norms.