Delhi cops welcome a new arrival

Delhi cops acting as midwives? As crazy as that sounds, the cops — yes, even male cops — are trained to help deliver babies in emergency situations, and that training comes in handy every now and then.

One recent occasion was when a woman went into labour at Old Delhi Railway Station at 4.15am; her panicky husband called the police control room. To cut a long story short, a PCR van arrived, and the woman delivered her baby in the van.

“We rushed to the spot [and] saw a woman, accompanied by her husband, suffering from labour pain. While taking her to the hospital, her water broke and we had to get the baby delivered in the van itself, near Netaji Subhash Marg,” says Inspector Rajendra Sehrawat, who was present during the incident.

This is the seventh case of childbirth in the multipurpose vehicle this year. “This is not new for us. We have trained our staff in such a way that they can handle childbirth,” says Monika Bhardwaj, DCP, Police Control Room. “They have a clear idea of the process. We’re proud that they’re fulfilling their duties.”

In most such cases, PCR vans come with policewomen, but this time, there were only two male police officers. “During trainings, we’re asked to not move the baby from his/ her position, but convincing parents at that time is difficult. This father agreed and didn’t touch the baby girl,” says Sehrawat.

The baby and mother were then taken to the LNJP hospital, Daryaganj, and were declared in good health.

HT PHOTO; BABY PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY

We’ve briefed our staff on handling the umbilical cord and giving the mother her privacy MONIKA BHARDWAJ,DCP, POLICE CONTROL ROOM