Union Home Minister flagged off a nationwide motorcycle rally organized carrying the message ‘Fight Against Drugs’
Today, our country stands in a position of respect and honour in the world, and foundation of this achievement is the sacrifice and dedication of our brave soldiers
All police forces across the country should wholeheartedly work towards implementing on ground roadmap for a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, prepared under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
We will fight together against drug abuse and free country from scourge of drugs by December 31, 2029
2026 is an extremely significant year for the Indian Police, on March 31, 2026, we achieved freedom from Naxalism
National Police Memorial has become a place of reverence for citizens across the country
Police personnel are the first and last line of defence for internal security, whether it is elections, festivals, or border security, CAPF personnel remain vigilant and ready to serve on every front
Whether it is safeguarding the country’s democracy or ensuring the smooth conduct of democratic processes, we cannot imagine achieving either without CAPFs
Among all government services, police service is one of the most challenging, Police personnel have no holidays for festivals; even on such occasions, they remain on duty, steadfastly carrying out their responsibilities
Recent West Bengal elections were conducted without a single fatality, thanks to CAPFs, country has now been freed from electoral violence
For decades, there were three major hotspots of internal security challenges in the country—Kashmir, the North-East, and Left-Wing Extremism, today, all three are witnessing peace and are on the path to development
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today paid tribute to the police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day and addressed the ceremony. On this occasion, Union Home Minister flagged off a nationwide motorcycle rally organised around the message “Fight against Drugs.” The Police Commemoration Day ceremony was attended by Members of Parliament Shri Krishna Prasad Tenneti and Shri Rajiv Kumar; Union Home Secretary Shri Govind Mohan; Director of the Intelligence Bureau Shri Mahesh Dixit; Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Shri Shatrujeet Kapoor; the Directors General of other Central Armed Police Forces; and several senior officers.
Addressing the gathering, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said they had assembled at the National Police Memorial to pay homage to the brave police personnel who had made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation from Independence to the present day. He said that nearly eight decades after Independence, India stands today in a position of honour and respect in the world. The foundation of this achievement lies in the sacrifices of our brave personnel. No one can even imagine where we would stand today if these personnel had not made the supreme sacrifice to safeguard the country’s internal security and protect its borders.
Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that 2026 is an extremely significant year for the Indian police. On March 31, 2026, the country achieved freedom from Naxalism, which had plagued India for decades. From 1981 to March 2026, the country endured numerous hardships due to Naxalism. During this period, many brave security personnel and innocent civilians lost their lives. More than 3,600 security personnel were martyred, and nearly 13,700 innocent civilians also lost their lives. Union Home Minister said he wanted to convey to the families of the martyred personnel that as the country moves forward on the path of development after overcoming this five-decade-old problem, the sacrifices of these 3,600 personnel form the foundation of this progress. Addressing the families of the martyrs, the Home Minister said that while their loss could never be compensated, the entire nation of 1.4 billion citizens remains grateful for the dedication and sacrifice of their families.
Recalling the history of Police Commemoration Day, Shri Amit Shah said that on October 21, 1959, in the remote and inhospitable Hot Springs region of Ladakh, 10 CRPF personnel laid down their lives while bravely resisting an attack by Chinese troops. A study of the Hot Springs incident makes it clear that when the battle was decided in the high-altitude mountains, the outcome was almost certain. Yet, these immortal heroes remained steadfast in their resolve that not even an inch of the country’s land should fall into foreign hands, making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Since then, October 21 has been observed every year as Police Commemoration Day. He said that the National Police Memorial, where they were gathered, was inaugurated in 2018 by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in honour of police personnel who had laid down their lives across the country. The objective behind establishing the memorial was to inspire future generations of police personnel to remain committed to their responsibilities and be prepared to make the supreme sacrifice while performing their duties. He added that the memorial has also become a place of reverence for citizens from across the country. Grateful citizens visit the site to pay tribute to 36,852 police personnel and express the nation’s gratitude for their service and sacrifice.
Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that among all government services, police service is one of the most challenging. Every citizen in the country celebrates festivals such as Raksha Bandhan, Holi, Diwali and Eid, but police personnel often have no holidays to celebrate these occasions. He said that while people celebrate festivals with their families, police personnel remain on duty, safeguarding internal security, managing traffic and ensuring public safety. Devoting the prime years of one’s life to the nation while staying away from one’s family is a great service to the country.
Shri Amit Shah said that there are numerous examples across the country of police personnel demonstrating extraordinary patience, restraint, discipline, courage and dedication, thereby strengthening the nation’s internal security. He said that police personnel constitute both the first and the last line of defence for internal security. He expressed his special gratitude to all personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) deployed along the borders and entrusted with security responsibilities within the country. Staying away from their families, these personnel remain vigilant and strengthen the nation’s internal security on every occasion, whether during elections, festivals, protests or border security duties. They remain constantly on duty to ensure the smooth functioning of the country. Whether it is safeguarding democracy or ensuring the smooth conduct of democratic processes, it is impossible to imagine these tasks being accomplished without the Central Armed Police Forces. Shri Shah said that India had succeeded in eliminating electoral violence in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, but electoral violence had continued in West Bengal for a long time. He said that during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, security personnel achieved a significant success by ensuring that the elections were completed without a single fatality. In doing so, the Central Armed Police Forces had established a new benchmark. He added that the entire country now recognises that electoral violence has been brought to an end in the nation.
Union Home Minister said that over the past few years, the country had faced several challenges, three of which had persisted for decades. He said that peace has now been established in all three major hotspots—Kashmir, the North-East and the areas affected by Left-Wing Extremism. An environment conducive to development has emerged in these regions, and they are now ready to compete with the rest of the country in terms of development. Shri Shah said that significant success had been achieved in curbing terrorism in Kashmir. Following several agreements and the surrender of arms by thousands of people, the entire North-East has moved forward on the path of peace. He added that police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel had achieved a major breakthrough in completely eliminating the five-decade-old Naxal problem, which had spread across several states. He specifically thanked the CRPF and its CoBRA Battalion for their contribution to the elimination of Naxalism and praised the bravery of the Chhattisgarh Police.
Shri Amit Shah said that the country has not yet become completely free of problems and that several challenges remain. He stated that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has set a target to free the country from the drug menace by December 31, 2029, through a concerted fight against drugs over the remaining part of 2026 and the next three years—2027, 2028 and 2029. He described this as a very important goal for the nation. He said that drug abuse and trafficking undermine the future of coming generations, place an unnecessary burden on the economy and often provide financial support to organisations with anti-national intentions. Union Home Minister called upon police forces across the country to wholeheartedly join the efforts to implement the roadmap for a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, formulated under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, and work towards safeguarding future generations.
The motorcycle rally flagged off by Home Minister today includes around 90 riders from various States and Union Territories (Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi), Central Armed Police Forces (CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, ITBP and NSG), and certain central police organisations (RPF, NDRF and NIA). The rally is part of a nationwide campaign organised around the message “Fight against Drugs”, in which motorcycle riders from all States, Union Territories and Central Forces across the country will reach Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, to participate in the Ekta Parade-2026.
