33 on-duty police officers killed in Delhi in 2 years

In the last two years, 33 on-duty policemen have lost their lives in Delhi. The deaths have happened due to murders or reckless driving. This year, 14 police personnel, including five constables, two head constables, three assistant sub-inspectors, two sub-inspectors and two inspectors have lost their lives in the line of duty, reported TOI.

Last year, 19 personnel, including seven head constables, six ASIs, four SIs, one inspector and one multitasking staff died. The toll rises to 51 when the 18 casualties of 2022 are counted.

The duty of a police officer inherently involves risks. "There have been numerous instances where our cops faced physical danger, such as being attacked by people or relatives of suspects during apprehension attempts," an officer told TOI.



"In some cases, individuals have resorted to violence, including stone-pelting, in an effort to obstruct justice and aid the escape of suspects," the officer added.

Men in uniform are constantly exposed to risk of being taken down by reckless divers during night time patrol.

"Several incidents have occurred when cops on patrol have lost their lives or sustained serious injuries while conducting vehicle checks at barricades. These accidents are the result mostly of dangerous driving, highlighting the perilous nature of these routine duties," the officer said.

In one such incident on September 18, 2023, sub-inspector Ganga Sharan lost his life while carrying out his duties. He was struck and killed by a speeding car during a routine night patrol in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar. The incident occurred when he was inspecting another vehicle.

An officer talked to TOI about the unpredictability while apprehending criminals. "When we are chasing or attempting to arrest a suspect, we often have no idea whether they are carrying a knife, pistol or other deadly weapons," the officer said.


There have been numerous incidents where policemen have been fired upon or attacked with sharp or blunt objects when pursuing criminals.

Last year on January 4, ASI Shambu Dayal Meena was stabbed to death in west Delhi's Mayapuri. This came after a woman complained about a man named Anis snatching her husband's phone. Meena had apprehended the accused and was taking him to the police station when Anis stabbed him. The ASI died of the knife wounds on January 8.

Similarly, on Saturday, constable Kiranpal Singh stopped three men who were loitering suspiciously in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri but was stabbed him to death by them.

Families of the deceased are provided a compensation of Rs 15 lakh (from martyrs' fund) in the event of a policeman's death while performing govt duty. In cases of death due to gallantry in the line of duty, resulting solely and directly from external violence, compensation of Rs 30 lakh is offered.

"We have a martyrs' fund, the purpose of which is to provide financial assistance to the families of Delhi Police personnel who lay down their lives while performing their duties. They themselves are members of the fund and contribute to the corpus," said an officer, adding that there were other schemes for compensation as well.