In Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri, police officer Chitralekha is on duty with her one-year-old child.
To ensure that the lockdown is implemented and we stay safe, women cops working long hours have no option but to bring their children to work. With her one-year old crying in the backgound, police constable Chitralekha starts to converse with us on a phone call.
In Uttar Pradesh’s small town, Mainpuri, the 25-year-old is performing her duty with her one-year-old child in tow. She says, “It is my duty to serve the people of the nation. During such distressing times, it’s all the more important to serve the nation. It is of utmost importance to me.”
Deployed on the bypass road in Mainpuri since the lockdown began, she adds, “My duty entails spreading awareness about the deadly virus. People of Mainpuri are cooperating with us and are following all rules of the lockdown.”
Chitralekha is on duty for 12 hours every day. She covers her toddler with a cloth when she travels with him. She says, “I keep washing his hands and always keep a sanitiser ready.”
For a new mother, to travel with her kid is not easy but Chitralekha has been doing it since her baby was six months old. She adds, “Through this exercise, I think I have instilled the values of patriotism in my kid, unknowingly.
The police constable is grateful for the support she has got from everybody including her colleagues, senior officials and people in general. She says, “Everyone is working hard to ensure that Indians remain safe and sound. We don’t want our people to suffer. The police and the doctors are working tirelessly to make sure the curve is flattened and we don’t end up like other countries .”
Prasanta Patnaik