Tragic Toll: Rising On-Duty Police Deaths in 2024

In 2024, five Delhi Police personnel were killed on duty, according to NCRB data. Causes included fatalities by criminals and accidents. Delhi had the most police fatalities among Union territories after Jammu and Kashmir. Nationwide, 283 police deaths occurred, with Uttar Pradesh reporting the highest at 41.

In a sobering revelation, the latest NCRB data from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs reports that five Delhi Police personnel lost their lives on duty in 2024. The data highlights that of these fatalities, two officers were victims of criminals or gangsters, one died due to an accidental self-inflicted shooting, and two more succumbed in duty-related accidents.

Delhi's grim tally places it among the Union territories with the highest on-duty police fatalities, following closely behind Jammu and Kashmir, which reported nine such deaths. Across India, the total number of slain or accidentally killed police personnel reached 283 in 2024.

Alarmingly, 242 of these deaths were accidents, with 18 lost to extremists and five to terrorist elements. Uttar Pradesh led the country with 41 on-duty police fatalities, followed by Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu with 32 each, underscoring a national crisis in police safety.