Encomiums for SSP Deepak Hilori

Policing in the border district of Gurdaspur is indeed a difficult if not insurmountable task. Much to his credit, SSP Deepak Hilori, who last week was transferred after serving for just seven months, had ticked all the right boxes during his brief stay. He would often tell his subordinates: “Change your direction when your instincts tell you to do so. The Titanic did not hit the iceberg because they did not see it coming but because they could not change direction in time.” The officer was always adamant that law and order must be maintained at all costs. This can be corroborated from the manner in which he arrested Harvinder Soni, a known Shiv Sena leader of Gurdaspur. What happened was that Soni had uttered something which hurt the religious sentiments of a particular community. The next day, Nihangs laid siege to the SSP office and demanded Soni’s arrest. Hilori remained cool as a cucumber. He steadfastly refused to bow. He played his cards with acumen. He formed a committee and only after it submitted its report did he act and arrest Soni. The officer acted of his own volition. In this case, the city’s law and order was at stake. Hilori did his best to ensure the incident did not snowball into a potentially volatile situation. He also handled the doctors’ controversy with aplomb. A woman had died in a private hospital following a surgical procedure. Her family claimed that it was the doctors’ fault. Hilori, however, went by a Supreme Court ruling making it clear that a doctor can be arrested only after a technical committee it formed submits its report. However, the kin would not listen and remained stubborn that the erring doctor should be arrested. The officer, however, played by the rule book and stood by the apex court’s judgment. That was the day when not only the doctors’ lobby but the common man of Gurdaspur patted the officer on his back. And that was the day when Gurdaspur slept secure in the belief that justice had indeed been done. Moral of the story: Stand up to justice even if you have to stand alone, like this officer did. The officer surely deserves a salute. And Gurdaspur gave him one, with pride!

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Singapore TV team visits de-addiction centre

This week, a Singapore-based private TV channel— Wawa Pictures Private Limited— visited the Red Cross De-addiction Centre to understand Punjab’s drug problem. They realised that there was certainly an elephant in the room but nobody could see it. Yes, the drug crisis has become too pronounced to be missed. Project Director Romesh Mahajan and counsellors Komalpreet Kaur, Abha Sharma, Dolly and Anuradha, who also works for the Gurdaspur district child helpline, gave a five-hour-long guided tour of the centre. The team led by Priti Gupta went back with a feeling that the problem does not need a quick-fix solution. Instead, a long-term remedy, which includes providing employment to the youth, is the need of the hour. (contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)