In a tragic incident last month, Constable Yangtsase Sangtam (39) of the 13th Nagaland Armed Police (NAP) India Reserve Battalion passed away shortly after completing duty at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Punjab. Sangtam was part of the deployment tasked with maintaining law and order during the elections.
Despite the somber circumstances, the Punjab Police’s response has garnered admiration from Nagaland. According to a report by Aman Sood for The Tribune, the Nagaland Police commended their Punjab counterparts for swiftly repatriating Sangtam’s mortal remains to his hometown and ensuring the timely release of ex-gratia funds.
Mohammed Sarfaraz Alam IPS recalled that Sangtam was deployed in Malerkotla district, and his battalion was sent to Patiala following the PM’s rally on May 23. “Late at night, after completing his duty at Bakhshiwala Government School, he fell from the rooftop along with other policemen,” Alam recounted. Despite being on duty amidst the farmers’ agitation and the PM’s visit, Alam noted that their DSP and SHO rushed Sangtam to the hospital, where the constable succumbed to his head injury.
“We will never forget what the Punjab Police did for our constable after he died during poll duty. Despite the VIP movements and the law and order situation in the wake of the PM’s visit and farmer agitation, they ensured the swift transport of our constable’s remains to his village within hours, using a cargo plane,” CO of Nagaland IRB James Khingken told The Tribune.
Patiala SSP Varun Sharma told The Tribune that within minutes of the death, he deployed a team to arrange for a cargo plane to fly back the mortal remains of the constable with full honors to his hometown. “Despite continuous VIP movements due to the polls, our team managed to book a flight and also expedited the release of ex-gratia compensation from Malerkotla, where his battalion was originally stationed,” he said. “He was one of our own, and sadly, we had to send him back in a coffin. We did our utmost to save him and ensure timely compensation for his family,” he added.
In a statement, the Nagaland Police said, “The mortal remains of Constable Yangtsase Sangtam were flown to Nagaland with generous and prompt assistance from the ECI and Punjab Police, and laid to rest with full honors befitting a policeman who sacrificed his life in the line of duty. The promptness and professionalism displayed by the Patiala police in transporting the constable’s body via cargo plane to his village in Nagaland has deeply touched hearts in our state.”