PM salutes courage of CRPF on 'valour day'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the courage of Central Reserve Police Force personnel on the organisation's 'shaurya divas' or valour day.

The courage of @crpfindia is widely known. On CRPF Valour Day today, I salute this brave force and remember the bravery of our CRPF personnel in Gujarat's Sardar Patel Post in 1965, the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

He said the sacrifices of the brave martyrs will never be forgotten.

According to the CRPF website, on April 9, 1965 a small contingent of the 2nd battalion of the CRPF successfully fought and repulsed an attack by a Pakistani brigade (over 3000 personnel) on Sardar Post in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, eliminating 34 Pakistani soldiers and capturing four alive.

Never in the history of military battles have a handful of policemen fought back a fullfledged infantry brigade in such a manner, it said.

In the conflict, six CRPF men were also killed.

As a tribute to the saga of the brave men, April 9 is celebrated as "Valour Day in the force.