<p class="title">The running joke in the Gill family was that Amjyot Singh was just right for Indian basketball but too big for Punjab Police. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Although literal when talking about his 6’9’’ son, Amjyot’s sub-inspector father was only trash-talking the 28-year-old, who hadn’t seen a day in service since getting appointed in 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Indian basketball star finally has his chance to get even with his dad, and he has the pandemic to thank. The versatile power forward was called up to serve the Punjab Police in June, and he loves the job. </p>.<p class="bodytext">“I couldn’t wait to get on the field and help. This is my way of serving the country,” Amjyot told DH from Jalandhar on Wednesday. “My father and my uncle used to joke about and I used to laugh too, it was never serious, but I hoped I would be called up.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Usually, you have to do a one-year basic training course before you get a weapon and get on the field, but because of the pandemic, they asked me and I rushed to help. They only call on athletes when the situation is very bad, and now it’s as bad as it can be.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I had to get the uniform stitched not because of my size but because when you haven’t trained you have to get it yourself. That was a lot of fun,” adds the Additional Station House Officer. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Owing to a spike in Covid-19 cases in the country, lockdowns are being enforced in some areas, though, a full curfew is not in effect, and that means the police need all the help they can get. </p>.<p class="bodytext">In a similar vein, DSP Joginder Sharma, the World Cup-winning bowler who has been actively working as a policeman since 2017, was seen helping the Haryana Police to tackle the pandemic a couple of months ago. </p>.<p class="bodytext">“It’s very difficult. People lie about going to hospitals all the time. But we should also understand what they are going through. Most of them get intimidated by my size and apologise and leave,” he chuckles. “Still, it’s my duty to tell them if they’re doing something wrong. One mistake affects everybody in the community so it is everyone's duty to follow government orders.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Talking about his ‘Covid routine’, Amjyot said: “I have developed a gym in my house so I wake up early and workout, also I take a bit of advantage of my police badge and run nearby (laughs). After that, I get to my station at 8.00 am and finish at around 2.00 pm. It’s tiring work, but it’s much worse for some other people." </p>
<p class="title">The running joke in the Gill family was that Amjyot Singh was just right for Indian basketball but too big for Punjab Police. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Although literal when talking about his 6’9’’ son, Amjyot’s sub-inspector father was only trash-talking the 28-year-old, who hadn’t seen a day in service since getting appointed in 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Indian basketball star finally has his chance to get even with his dad, and he has the pandemic to thank. The versatile power forward was called up to serve the Punjab Police in June, and he loves the job. </p>.<p class="bodytext">“I couldn’t wait to get on the field and help. This is my way of serving the country,” Amjyot told DH from Jalandhar on Wednesday. “My father and my uncle used to joke about and I used to laugh too, it was never serious, but I hoped I would be called up.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Usually, you have to do a one-year basic training course before you get a weapon and get on the field, but because of the pandemic, they asked me and I rushed to help. They only call on athletes when the situation is very bad, and now it’s as bad as it can be.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I had to get the uniform stitched not because of my size but because when you haven’t trained you have to get it yourself. That was a lot of fun,” adds the Additional Station House Officer. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Owing to a spike in Covid-19 cases in the country, lockdowns are being enforced in some areas, though, a full curfew is not in effect, and that means the police need all the help they can get. </p>.<p class="bodytext">In a similar vein, DSP Joginder Sharma, the World Cup-winning bowler who has been actively working as a policeman since 2017, was seen helping the Haryana Police to tackle the pandemic a couple of months ago. </p>.<p class="bodytext">“It’s very difficult. People lie about going to hospitals all the time. But we should also understand what they are going through. Most of them get intimidated by my size and apologise and leave,” he chuckles. “Still, it’s my duty to tell them if they’re doing something wrong. One mistake affects everybody in the community so it is everyone's duty to follow government orders.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Talking about his ‘Covid routine’, Amjyot said: “I have developed a gym in my house so I wake up early and workout, also I take a bit of advantage of my police badge and run nearby (laughs). After that, I get to my station at 8.00 am and finish at around 2.00 pm. It’s tiring work, but it’s much worse for some other people." </p>
