No more bad days?

It is after a long time that Gurdaspur has finally got an IPS officer as its SSP. As far as policing goes, the area is considered to be sensitive and susceptible because of its proximity to the International Border (IB). Amid the raging chaos created by the pandemic, Nanak Singh (pic), who has commandeered the force in Bathinda and Faridkot, took charge yesterday afternoon in a low-key manner. This was a far cry from the glitz and glamour one normally associates with ceremonies when a new SSP takes charge. Round one certainly goes to the new incumbent. On July 27, 2015, when three Pakistani trained Lashkar-e-Taiba militants walked across the IB and laid siege to the Dinanagar police station, then MP and film icon Vinod Khanna pitched for an IPS officer to be the police chief of a district as sensitive as this one and the adjoining one of Pathankot too. However, Khanna’s observations had little impact on the political executive, the appointing authority of SSPs. Six months later, when four Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists managed to hoodwink the Indian authorities to reach the technical area of the Pathankot Air Force base, the voices to have an IPS officer at the helm of affairs reached a crescendo. In the three border police district of Pathankot, Batala and Gurdaspur everybody knows that people sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because tough men in uniform. The situation remained in a limbo till Nilambari Vijay Jagdale, an IPS, was appointed Pathankot SSP on December 26, 2016. All her successors till yet have been IPS officers, the latest in the line being incumbent chief Gulneet Singh Khurana, IPS. On his part, Nanak Singh will have to fight several problems, of course there’s Covid, then, the phenomenon of infiltration from across the wire meshing. The Dinanagar and Pathankot militants had made their way into India from a porous point at the IB near Bamial village in Pathankot district. The officer will also have to dwell on how to put a full stop to the once-in-a-fortnight drone flights, many of which carry weapons that are sprayed all over the fields in villages located to border’s proximity. Last, but not the least, is the law and order problem which has to be tackled with a firm grip. The officer is young, commands the respect of his men and has fire in the belly. Sources say he calls a spade a spade. Being from the IPS cadre, he listens only to his seniors’ which means its curtains for local satraps. It remains in the realms of speculation what good he does to his men, residents and society in general. He knows well that the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. Interestingly like trailers are a prelude to films, residents got to know Nanak Singh’s modus-operandi a day before he assumed office. A video clip of the officer taking to task the son of a police officer, who dared to drive his car into the wrong lane, when he was Bathinda SSP, started doing the rounds. The trailer has already been seen. Now, let the film hit the floors!

Advertisement

It takes two to tango

Two Batala cops – DSP Gurdeep Singh and ASI Baldev Singh – were conferred upon the ‘DGP’s honour for exemplary sewa to society’ for proving their mettle in the ongoing fight against the ubiquitous virus. Both these officers were felicitated by SSP Rachpal Singh at a ceremony held in his office on Thursday. “The virus does not care about the borders. It is a worldwide killer having spread its deadly tentacles far and wide. So let us put aside our conflicts, our hands together and fight the disease if we have to serve and save humanity,” remarked DSP Gurdeep.

A point to be noted

The Bharat bandh call evoked a good response in Gurdaspur district. Not even a single shop opened. Rail traffic was disrupted at several places with the result that the Pathankot-Amritsar passenger was halted at Pathankot itself. However, not many were impressed. A young student, Manjinder Singh Dala, whose family owes scores of acres of land, said, “I belong to a farmer’s family hence I have a lot of sympathy for my protesting brethren. Having said that, I would also like to say such calls like the Bharat bandh one given today serve no purpose at all. By shutting down businesses we are walking down a blind alley. Life comes to a total standstill. Transport services are affected. People who need treatment cannot reach hospitals. By halting railways, thousands of people are unable to reach their respective destinations. Students cannot reach their examinations centres. We should find other ways and means to ensure the Union Government looks into the farmers’ demands instead of going in for bandhs,” he said. A point well made, Manjinder.

— Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal