In line of fire: Daring constable fourth Delhi policeman killed this year

Constable Jagbir Singh had left the army to join Delhi Police, but he had brought along the courage instilled in him during his days fighting for the country, said his colleagues at Vijay Vihar police station.

The policemen fought off tears while controlling a large crowd that had gathered outside the police station on Monday on learning about the assault in which Jagbir was killed and his colleague injured.

“Once he received information about any criminal, he would pursue them till they were caught. He was very active and would go to any extent to catch a suspect,” a policeman posted at the police station said. Stories of his courage during his last moments did not come as a surprise to his colleagues.

After serving in the Jat Regiment of the Indian Army for 15 years, Jagbir had joined Delhi Police in 2008. He was posted at Aman Vihar before being transferred to Vijay Vihar police station one and a half years ago.

His relative Somveer told reporters that Jagbir had decided to continue serving the country even after leaving the army and hence joined the police force. In mere six years of his duty, he had been twice conferred the award for the best beat constable.

Meanwhile, the second firing incident on policemen on duty in the last 72 hours in the city has raised concerns over the protection of the protectors.

“After the attack in Connaught Place on Saturday night, senior police officers have been told to make a chart of such places which see frequent anti-social activities and are dangerous for police operations. More police personnel will be deployed in those areas to curb such activities and prevent assaults on policemen,” a police officer told Deccan Herald.

Jagbir, 42, is the fourth policeman to be killed on duty in Delhi this year. In fact, all the murderous assaults have taken place in the last four months. The victims include a traffic policeman who was run over by a car for asking its driver to not take a restricted route. The latest attack on Monday is among the two that have remained unsolved.

On an average, there have been more than three attacks on Delhi policemen every month for the last six months. There have been at least 20 known cases of assaults. Those range from criminals shooting at police personnel on being chased to policemen being assaulted while attending a police control room call.