As the nation observed Police Commemoration Day on Friday to mark the sacrifices made by 10 CRPF jawans fighting the Chinese army at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959, Dhanbad unveiled a bust of CRPF deputy commandant, late Hira Kumar Jha, who was martyred fighting the Maoists on July 3, 2014.

Second-in-command of 7th Battalion of CRPF, Jha was killed at Lakhari village in Jamui district of Bihar on Jharkhand-Bihar border.

The stone bust, installed by the CRPF, was unveiled by Dhanbad MP P.N. Singh at his alma mater Kendriya Vidyalaya-I in Vinod Nagar, where he studied from 1974 to 1984.

Born on August 15, 1969, Jha rose through the ranks within a short span of time to be the second-in-command of the 7th Battalion of CRPF. While laying siege to a Maoist hideout in Jamui district, the slain officer laid out his strike team in a strategic fashion and began the assault but was hit by enemy fire which proved fatal.

Lauding the role of paramilitary forces, including the CRPF, in maintaining internal security, MP Singh said, "Extremists and Naxalites are hurdles in the economic development of our nation. The CRPF plays an important role in meeting the challenges posed by these anti-national groups."

CRPF Bokaro range DIG Suresh Sharma, who was also present, added, "The CRPF is the main pillar of internal security of the country. Its history is full of sacrifices for the nation."

Jha's father-in-law Ashok Jha said, "He was very honest towards his job. He would always leave for duty on time and assured us not to worry."

Also present on the occasion were Dhanabd deputy commissioner A. Dodde, CRPF's 154th Battalion commandant Nisheeth Kumar, Dhanbad senior superintendent of police Manoj Ratan Chothe, city SP Anshuman Kumar, rural SP Hrudeep P. Jannardhnan, Dhanbad MLA Raj Sinha, principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya-I Ranjan Kishore, Jha's mother Sanyukta and elder brother Ranjan.