Bearing the loss of loved ones, they return to perform duty
BHUBANESWAR: Losing a loved one is traumatic at any given time; more so in a pandemic when fear and anxiety are strife. Several men and women in uniform have returned to duty despite facing severe personal trauma.
Take the case of Gouri Behera, a homeguard working in Pipili police station of Puri district. On April 24, Behera got a phone call at work. Her 13-year-old daughter Lopamudra, who was battling liver cancer for over a year. Praying, the 43-year-old jumped onto her bicycle and rode the three kilometres to her home as fast as she could. When she reached, 20 minutes later, her daughter was no more. Two days later — after cremating her child — Behera reported for duty.
The sole breadwinner of her family consisting of ailing parents and a younger brother with mental health issues, Behera had little choice. “I have to keep working so that no one in the family goes hungry,” said Behera, who earns ₹500 for a day’s work. Home guards in Odisha do not have a fixed monthly salary and are paid on the basis of the number of days they serve.
Praising her dedication, director general of home guards and fire services, Sunil Roy said Behera is an inspiration, and has urged the state government to include home guards in the ₹50 lakh insurance scheme that the police personnel are currently covered by in the state.A similar tragedy struck sub-inspector Dusha Palka, posted at the Ambadola police station in Rayagada district. Palka lost his mother on April 21 and joined duty after the cremation.
In Chandbali block in Bhadrak district, tehsildar Sushant Sutar has been ensuring that no one goes out of containment zone and enforcing physical distancing, even as his father was battling for life in the ICU of a private hospital in distant Cuttack. Sutar’s father fell from the stairs and was injured last month. In Deogarh district’s Barkote police station, constable Sanjukta Patra has been reporting for duty since April 9, three days after she was discharged from hospital. Patra had suffered a major injury on her spine after a debilitating road accident and was advised bed rest post discharge, but Patra chose to return to work.
In Jharsuguda, 24-year-old Chandrika Singh gave birth in January. A home guard, Singh has been bringing her son to work at the Laikera police station. “I took permission from my senior officers to join work. As it was impossible to leave my child at home, I bring him to office. It’s difficult to manage a wailing child, but my mother manages him inside the station when I have to go on the road. I am scared on getting Covid-19, but we have to do our duty,” said Singh.