E-Paper
Duty comes first for Ludhiana police battling Covid-19 on the frontline
Working 12 to 24 hour shifts, these cops are always at the risk of getting infected, but ensure they do their bit to contain the spread of the virus
Pawan Kumar,53, an assistant sub inspector (ASI) in Ludhiana’s traffic police department, has been living separately in a room at his house and eats food alone to ensure his wife and two daughters stay safe.
Another ASI Indraj, 55, has not visited his family in Rajasthan for months. He sleeps in the police post and reaches out to his family only through phone calls.
Like them, life is not easy for around 4,000 police personnel working day and night to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the city. From ensuring implementation of the curfew, apprehending curfew violators, ensuring social distancing at the vegetable and grain markets and maintaining the daily law and order, they do it all without a frown.
Kumar is deployed at the check point near BRS Nagar crossing on Ferozepur Road. Works starts at 6am and continues till 6pm.
“When I enter the house, I put my uniform in a separate bucket. I wash my hands and face and then go straight to my room, where I have been isolating myself since the Covid-19 outbreak. These are hard steps but bring some degree of peace of mind,” he says.
We do take all precautions at work, he says, but we interact with several people daily and also check their documents. “So, the risk of infection always looms large,” he adds.
ASI Indraj, who is at work for 15 hours daily from 5am to 8pm on Barewal Road, says he hails from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan. “I live here alone. My wife is in Sri Ganganagar and son in Delhi. So, I contact them through phone. I eat the two meals in the day at the check post and dinner at the police post where I also sleep,” he says, adding that he gets one day off every week, which is not enough to travel back home.
My son encourages me, keeps a tab on whether I am taking precautions and keeps me updated about latest news, he says.
Additional station house officer (SHO) Simranjeet Kaur of Shimlapuri police station says her father takes pride in her work. “He comes out with the disinfectant spray and sanitises my vehicle every time I reach home from work. I wash my uniform daily and also sanitise my shoes, belt and badges,” she says.
Head constable Sohan Dass, 50, who works in the PCR team, sometimes works for 24 hours at a stretch before he can rest for the next 24 hours. “Back home in Dakha village, my neighbours appreciate my work. I create awareness among them about coronavirus and urge them to take all precautions,” he says. To ensure his wife and daughters are safe, he eats alone, he says, adding there’s nothing to feel bad about, as it was better to take precautions now than feel regretful later.
