The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) that lost 40 troopers in the Pulwama terror attack that took place on this day in 2019 said that the country "did not forgive" and "will not forget" the supreme sacrifice made by the personnel.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held at CRPF camp in Lethpora in Jammu and Kashmir to mark the second anniversary of the deadly attack.
Senior officers of the paramilitary based at its headquarters in Delhi participated in the event virtually, CRPF spokesperson deputy inspector general (DIG) Moses Dhinakaran said.
"Did not Forgive, will not Forget: Salute to our brothers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation in #PulwamaAttack. Indebted, we stand with the families of our valiant Bravehearts," the force said in a Twitter post.
Soon after the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force had carried out an airstrike in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26, 2019, targeting terrorist camps.
CRPF Director General AP Maheshwari also unveiled a video book dedicated to the 40 personnel killed in the line of duty.
"We have inherited bravery which flows like blood in our veins," he was quoted as saying by the spokesperson.
"The video book has a content of 80 episodes and 300 minutes. A copy of the book will also be sent to the families of each of the personnel killed in the Pulwama suicide bombing attack," Mr Dhinakaran said.
A CRPF bus in the fifth position of a 78-vehicle convoy was targeted by a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber who detonated his explosives-laden SUV near it on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Pulwama on February 14, 2019.
The convoy was ferrying over 2,500 personnel and all 39 in the ill-fated bus and a sub-officer stationed on the ground, as part of a road sanitisation party, were killed in the blast.
CRPF Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Mohan Lal, 50, who had "chased and fired" at the explosives-laden car, was named for the highest police medal for bravery, the President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG), this Republic Day.
The around 3.25 lakh-personnel-strong force is the world's largest paramilitary with about 65 battalions or about 70,000 personnel deployed in the Kashmir Valley for undertaking counter-terrorism operations and rendering law and order duties.
As per official data, a total of 2,224 CRPF personnel have been killed in action till now.
The force was raised in 1939 as the Crown Representative's Police (CRP) during the British Raj and was re-named the Central Reserve Police Force a decade later in 1949.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
9 Maoists Arrested From Separate Places In Chhattisgarh's Bijapur Telangana Chief Minister Questions Balakot Airstrike, BJP Strikes Back PM Modi Pays Homage To Security Personnel Killed In Pulwama Terror Attack 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court Tear Gas Fired After Kolkata Protest Against Doctor's Rape-Murder Turns Violent 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing 5 Big Highlights Of PM Modi's Independence Day Speech In Touch With India Over Bangladesh Political Crisis: US State Department Plea Rejected Against NMC's Decision To Not Hold NEET-SS Exam In 2024 Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.