67th Police Commemoration Day: Odisha DGP Urges Modern Upgrades as Force Honors Martyrs

21 Oct 2026, 06:44 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

Kataka: Police work today goes far beyond regular patrols, as officers face growing threats from cyber fraud, drug cartels, and extremist groups. Marking the 67th Police Commemoration Day at the State Police Headquarters on Wednesday, DGP-in-Charge Vinaytosh Mishra called on the force to use modern tools, upgrade training, and earn public trust to keep Odisha safe and peaceful.

The solemn event paid tribute to the 154 police and central security personnel who died on duty across India this past year.

Among central forces, the Border Security Force (BSF) suffered the most losses with 25 personnel killed. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) reported nine deaths, while the Railway Protection Force (RPF) lost eight. The Assam Rifles lost six, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) five, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) four, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) two. One person each from the Fire Services, Civil Defence, and Home Guards also died on duty.

State police departments suffered heavy losses as well:

Madhya Pradesh: 9 deaths

Bihar, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh: 6 deaths each

Rajasthan and West Bengal: 5 deaths each

Deaths were also reported from Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Mishra offered floral tributes, led a two-minute silence with reversed arms, and praised the bravery of Odisha Police and paramilitary personnel who helped stop Maoist violence in the state. He also thanked the families of the fallen officers for their strength and sacrifice.

Police Commemoration Day is observed across India every year on October 21 to honor 10 CRPF soldiers killed by Chinese troops in Ladakh in 1959.

The ceremony was coordinated by Additional DGP (Headquarters) Prateek Mohanty. Senior officers who attended included Intelligence Director R P Koche, Vigilance Director Y K Jethwa, SFSL Director Dr Santosh Bala, and Additional DGPs S K Priyadarsi, Arun Bothra, Asit Kumar Panigrahi, Sanjay Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, and Yatindra Koyal.