Steely resolve sees constables through

Police & the pandemic

For 26-year-old police constable Suresh, the past few months have been a trial by fire. One of the biggest crises was when stranded migrant workers turned up in the hundreds and camped out in the police station, asking for help. As someone who was fluent in Hindi, Suresh took it on himself to get their paperwork in order, so they could board the trains headed home.

Now, in addition to his regular duties as a beat constable, he is sometimes called on to assist BBMP and health department officials in enforcing the containment in localities within the station limits.

"The public doesn’t always listen to the government officials. They only stay inside their houses if the police are present," Suresh says.

The police force has been a vital part of the state's response to the Covid-19 pandemic right from the beginning, but in recent weeks, the strain is beginning to show.

The increasing number of police personnel contracting the virus - over 500 of them have tested positive for the Covid-19 in Bengaluru alone - has created a fear in the minds of the police force.

This police station in East Bengaluru, where Suresh works, is one of the few offices where no Covid-19 cases have been reported.

The constant news of neighbouring police stations being sealed down does create some anxiety, the police here admit, but the air is one of inevitability.

"There is fear... We meet at least 20 people a day in the station. We do not know who has the virus, where we might come in contact with it," says the station sub-inspector.

Several officers have sent their families home to their villages or hometowns, for their safety.

When visiting areas designated as containment zones, the police say the fear of the virus is always playing at the back of their minds, despite the precautions they take. "We don't know what surfaces the person has touched and you can't avoid public contact sometimes," says Santhosh (name changed), a head constable.

After clocking in 12 hours of work, when Suresh returns to his rented accommodation that he shares with two other colleagues, there are phone calls from family members who are worried by news reports about increasing Covid-19 cases in the city.

“My mother calls every day and says - there is no need for you to do the job. Just come home,” he says.

Suresh’s response echoes that of his colleagues. “We are paid our salaries. As an emergency service, we have to be present and perform our duties. If we catch the virus, there is nothing that we can do,” he says.