Karnal’s Karan, Arjun love to swim, save lives

Parveen Arora in Karnal

They appear to be Bollywood movie-like twins. The difference is they are not separated and are found helping those drowning. Karan & Arjun are known for their heroic work: both have saved the lives of 20 persons and taken out over 50 bodies.

They never imagined they would be divers and rescue people from canals. But the twins were fond of bathing at Augmentation Canal. While swimming, they were obstructed by dead bodies which they starting taking out. Soon, they started helping the police, who face a shortage of expert divers for rescuing the drowning people.

Their contact numbers are displayed at various police stations of Karnal, Panipat, Kurukshetra and other districts. They have recently teamed up with three other members. A call from the police or a common man is enough to get them into action. For their daring work, the twins have received several appreciation letters from the district administration. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his predecessor Bhupinder Singh Hooda have felicitated them. 

They do not receive any financial assistance from the police department, but they do get some 

help from the victim’s family for fishing out the bodies. They don’t charge anything from the poor families. They are sons of Baljeet Singh, who is a cook with the police posted at Kunjpura Police Station. He was earlier posted at Madhuban Police Station, near the Augmentation Canal. “We loved bathing in the canal when we were barely 10 years old. We learnt 

swimming and now we enjoy our work,” says Karan. 

“We usually go to a spot by taking a lift. Sometimes, family members of a victim take us to the spot,” says Arjun. “We had to overcome hesitation of not going near the dead bodies. Our family members have supported us a lot. It is a privilege and pleasure to do what we do.” 

“We are trying for jobs also. The government can appoint us as life guard because many incidents of drowning take place in the state for which the department is not well-prepared,” says Karan. Raju, a member of the group, says he faced some resistance from his family. “Gradually they understood the importance of the work,” he says.  With the heroic work of Karan and Arjun, their father receives a lot of respect not only in his department, but also the society.

“I am proud of my sons who have made my name famous by their good works. I request the government to recognize their efforts and provide them a suitable job,” says Baljeet Singh. “The whole department respects me because of the courageous work of my sons,” he said.