Police personnel are not just a group of baton-wielding men and women determined to enforce the lockdown. But they also have a humane side. This became evident in an incident in Alipurdurar district in north Bengal where police officials came to the rescue of a woman in labour. The woman, a migrant worker from Assam, was returning to her home state on a truck with other workers.
It was on Sunday morning when Palzar Bhutia, Officer in Charge of Birpara Police Station was on duty at the Ethelbari thermal screening point near the Alipurduar-Cooch Behar border. At around 11 am, a truck loaded with 100 migrant workers from Assam arrived at the checkpoint. They were heading for Kokrajhar district in their home state with a valid permit.
Suddenly, Bhutia noticed that a woman was wreathing in pain on the truck. Other workers told him that she was in labour. Bhutia and his colleagues did not think twice before rushing the woman, Taklima Bibi, and her husband to the nearby government hospital. She delivered a healthy baby boy within half an hour after reaching the hospital. The officials stayed at the hospital until the baby was born and mother and child were safe.
However, the police officials did not think that their duty was done just by hospitalising the woman. They provided her with clothes and baby food.
Speaking to DH, Superintendent of Police in Amitabha Maiti said that he has spoken to his counterpart in Kokrajhar and was told that the woman with her child and husband will be received soon.
“We have arranged accommodation for her husband in a lodge. The other workers left for Kokrajhar on Sunday evening. They were provided with lunch packets,” said Maiti.
He said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged them to take care of migrant workers.
“Yes, we are cops. But we are also human. I am glad that we could help them,” said Maiti.