Coronavirus lockdown: Delhi Police’s commandos deliver rations to those in need

The unit has formed different teams – one to liaison with the Good Samaritans who want to donate food items, another to check that all distress calls are attended to, and a third team to keep stock of the essential food items and their distribution.

Until the evening of March 22, when Delhi was placed in lockdown by the state government to contain the spread of Covid-19, the commandos of the Delhi Armed Police were busy transporting prisoners such as Abu Salem and Neeraj Bawana to and from various courts in the capital for hearings in their cases. They were also posted in the north-eastern part of the city, which had been hit by riots recently, to maintain law and order.

Police officers packing dry ration for needy families inside the commando unit’s target practice room. (Sourced)

But as the National Capital came to a halt, with less crime as well as all courts being closed, and court hearings taking place via video conferencing, these commandos are now working to feed the hungry and the underprivileged in the city.

The two target shooting simulation rooms of the commandos in Malviya Nagar have temporarily been converted to a space where police personnel stock food, pack it for families in need and make it ready for distribution through the vans parked outside. Before the lockdown, these vans were used for transporting close to 2,000 prisoners from prisons to courts on a daily basis.

Sitting near the rifles, used by the commandos to practice shooting until last month, the police personnel are busy packing the rations. Each ration packet has four kilograms (kg) of rice, three kilos of flour, two kilos of pulses, a bottle of cooking oil and a bar of soap.

The unit has formed different teams – one to liaison with the Good Samaritans who want to donate food items, another to check that all distress calls are attended to, and a third team to keep stock of the essential food items and their distribution. The distress calls are attended by two NGOs, which the unit has tied up with.

“Until last month, we were busy transporting prisoners as part of our job. However, now priorities have changed. At a time like this, we are glad to be doing something for society. This is such a noble cause,” said a head constable, requesting anonymity, part of the team tasked to feed the needy.

Sitting near the rifles, used by the commandos to practice shooting until last month, the police personnel are busy packing the rations. Each ration packet has four kilograms (kg) of rice, three kilos of flour, two kilos of pulses, a bottle of cooking oil and a bar of soap. (Sourced)

On Monday, an orphanage located on Mathura road at the Nizamuddin-Jangpura crossing near Nizamuddin’s Markaz, called the police control room informing them that they were running short of ration and essential items for the 37 children who live in the home. The caller told the police that for the past few days, delivery persons have also stopped coming to the area after reports of rise in Sars-Cov-2 cases in the adjoining Nizamuddin area. The Nizamuddin Basti has emerged as the biggest hot spot for such cases in the national Capital.

Special commissioner of police Robin Hibu, the chief of the Armed Police, said that upon receiving the call, a team of officials from his unit rushed to the orphanage. “Our officials did not hesitate to go to an area where so many cases have been reported within mere 50-100 metres. No delivery persons have been coming to the orphanage. I am proud of my boys. They even packed sanitary napkins for the young girls in the orphanage. We have also assured the caretakers that the police will continue to help and reach out to those in need during this time.”

Since the lockdown began, government agencies have been working to feed the underprivileged on priority and officers at police stations across the city are also engaged in the same.

Officials say the unprecedented decrease in incidents of crime in the national Capital has enabled the city police to focus on helping the underprivileged deal with the lockdown. According to them, there has been a marked reduction in all types of crimes including murder, robbery, snatching, theft and kidnapping ever since the lockdown began.

But how does the Delhi Armed Police manage to gather resources every day? Hibu says Good Samaritans who want to help the poor are plenty.

“Till now we have distributed ration to 4,762 families in the city. The two NGOs -- Helping Hands and North East Chamber of Commerce -- informed us of those in need of supplies. We verify the information they give and hand over the items. Each packet of ration is sufficient to last a few days. The government is helping us get in touch with NGOs. There are enough good people in the city who want to help. Some of them are anonymous donors. They want to join this fight against coronavirus. It is with their help that we have been managing to reach out to the underprivileged all these days,” he says.