‘Wall of Valour’: Tribute to bravery of paramilitary, state police forces

By Jaideep Sarin

Chandigarh, Sep 29 (IANS) They guard the borders and are in the forefront of the battle against the Maoists, at times operating in conditions more adverse than those faced by the army. And yet, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and state police forces soldier on. Now, 'Wall of Valour: Tribute to Martyrs' by short-film director and storyteller Beenu Rajput, records the story of two martyrs who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

"This documentary is about two martyrs hailing from Yamunanagar (in Haryana) and Srinagar (in Jammu and Kashmir). Rocky, 25, a Shaurya Chakra awardee of the 59 Battalion, lost his life while protecting 44 fellow BSF (Border Security Force) troopers when their convoy was attacked by terrorists near Udhampur in August 2015. Sub-Inspector Altaf Ahmad Dar, 30, of the J&K Police was killed in October 2015 during a covert operation," Rajput, who researched the heroics of these brave-hearts and tracked their activities and families for the documentary, told IANS here.

Ahmad, also known as 'Altaf Laptop' for his expertise in tracking top militants through technological surveillance, and "24-hour cop", for his dedicated round-the-clock work to track down militants, was considered a big loss for the counter-terrorism operations in the troubled state.

Rajput is currently screening the documentary to personnel and families of paramilitary and state police forces and students in academic institutions.

"More such films should be made to represent the valour of the Indian defence line. These films infuse inspiration in youth and reflect the passion and commitment of forces towards the nation," said Rajesh Kumar, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) Centre at Bhanu near Panchkula, where there was a special screening recently of Rajput's documentary.

"Data suggests that over 20 lakh police personnel are deployed in the state police forces and around 10 lakh with the CAPFs. Since independence, over 36,000 troopers and police personnel have sacrificed their lives for the nation," said Rajput, whose documentary was produced by the NGO PPCT and supported by Delhi's Hamari Police NGO.

Before this, Rajput, who is an independent short-film maker, has also made "Born to Dance" based on noted Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan; "Main Hindi Hoon" on the ups and down of the Hindi language; and "Kaba-e-Hindustan" on the Benaras journey of poet Mirza Galib.

"Movies touch our hearts, awaken our vision and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, they open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our lifetime, we need to keep them alive. A storytelling documentary expands our understanding of shared human experiences, fostering an informed, compassionate and connected world," she said.

"For me, shooting documentary style is the most interesting way of seeing the world and telling a story. I don't like the contrived way the theatrical movie is conceived and put together. If the movie is based on a novel or a stage play, then the filmmaking process is only a copying medium. There's no art in it. The adaptation process is important," Rajput added.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)

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