DGP Nalin Prabhat sent the 10-member motorcycle team off from Srinagar to represent Jammu and Kashmir at the national unity parade at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat. He also reaffirmed the force’s commitment to a drug-free society.
Tariq Bhat
SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir Police’s motorcycle display team, the Dare Devils, set out from Srinagar on Monday for one of the country’s most prominent ceremonial events. Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat flagged off the contingent at Police Public School, Bemina. The team will take part in the Ekta Diwas Parade at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Gujarat.
The team has 10 motorcycle riders. It is led by Sajad Hussain, Deputy Superintendent of Police with the 4th JKAP IR Battalion, who travels with the riders as Supervisory Officer. Maqsood-ul-Zaman, Deputy Inspector General (Armed), Kashmir, has been named the force’s Nodal Officer for the parade. He is overseeing coordination, movement and logistics for the contingent with the officers and units concerned.
A national stage for unity
Ekta Diwas, or National Unity Day, is observed every year on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Patel was India’s first Home Minister and played a central role in integrating the princely states into the Union after Independence. The main celebrations are held at Ekta Nagar, beside the Statue of Unity, the giant memorial to Patel on the banks of the Narmada. Police and security forces from across the country parade there to show the spirit of a united nation.
For the J&K Police, a place in this parade carries symbolic weight. According to the force, the team will present the courage, discipline, precision and coordination of its personnel to a national audience. Motorcycle display teams are among the most demanding units in any police force. Their formations call for split-second timing, total trust between riders and years of practice.
The force said the team’s participation reflects national unity, integrity and brotherhood. It also shows the J&K Police’s commitment to the ideals of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat, the national programme to strengthen ties between India’s states and regions.
Ladakh Police alongside
A motorcycle team of the Ladakh Police also took part. Officials said this reflected the camaraderie and cooperation between the police forces of the two Union Territories, which were a single state until 2019 and still share a long institutional history.
A message against drugs
DGP Prabhat used the occasion to restate the force’s commitment to the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, the national campaign against drug abuse. He stressed that collective effort is needed to make people, especially young people, aware of the harm drugs cause and to build a healthy, drug-free society. Narcotics remain a serious concern in Jammu and Kashmir. The police have tied the campaign closely to their community outreach, and a team of riders who model discipline and fitness sends a fitting message.
Senior officers in attendance
The flag-off was attended by:
S. J. M. Gillani, Special Director General of Police, Headquarters
Nitish Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (Armed), J&K
B. S. Tuti, Inspector General of Police, Headquarters
Sujit Kumar, IGP Kashmir
Suliman Choudhary, IGP Traffic, J&K
Sheikh Junaid Mehmood, IGP JK4C
Shahid Mehraj, IGP Technical Headquarters
Ab Qayoom, Deputy Inspector General (Crime), J&K
Haseeb-ur-Rehman, DIG Traffic, J&K
the Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, along with other officers of the J&K Police and the Central Armed Police Forces
When the Dare Devils ride at Ekta Nagar later this month, they will carry the name of Jammu and Kashmir before a national audience. The force says the team will reinforce the message of a strong, harmonious and united India.
— Aalimi Nation News Desk
