More than 25,000 policemen, most of them constables, were on bandobast duty on September 29, the final day of immersion of Ganesh idols. All of them were on the roads, amidst hordes of people, some of them dead-drunk, who were dancing to loud music, bidding farewell to the city’s most adored deity.
The brief to the constables — popularly referred to as Pandu hawaldar or mama in Mumbai lingo — was to ensure that no law and order situation erupts, no street fights occur between two mandals, no woman is molested and to ensure that vehicular movement is facilitated. Same number of men were also deployed round-theclock during Ganeshotsav.
These policemen will continue working with the same tenacity, through the festive season, until 2013 reins in. Mumbai police constables, who live in poor conditions, have irregular meals and work erratic hours, are the most stressed lot during the festive season. Many of them fall prey to chronic diseases like blood pressure, diabetes and hyper tension. This is their story!
A day before the final day of immersions, a 36-year-old woman constable lodged a complaint of assault against a volunteer of Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh mandal after having a heated argument with the latter over queue management. The quarrel is likely to have been triggered by the stress levels.
A constable from the Kalachowkie police station, in which jurisdiction both Lalbaugcha Raja and Ganesh Galli mandal fall, explained how difficult it was to even take a toilet break, considering the number of people thronging the venue.
A reply to an RTI filed by activist Chetan Kothari last year revealed that from 2006 to 2010, 292 Mumbai policemen have died. Of these, 163 policemen — more than half — died due to cardiac arrests or heart-related complications. Forty two policemen committed suicide in the corresponding period.
While there are certain measures taken by the top police brass like arranging motivational lectures, organising a sports tournament or opening subsidised canteens to de-stress the lower rung, none have proven to be a long-term solution for the severely under-staffed force. “We work in 12-hour shifts. Those hours are compulsory, but often there is no limit to their extension. Sometimes, we stand during festival or VIP bandobast duty for more than 12 hours at a stretch. We often skip meals or eat whatever is offered by the mandals. Our services are not valued and we are often looked down upon by the people at large,” says constable Dinkar Raut, name changed.
Malvi Naithani, a yoga instructor at The Yoga Institute in Santa Cruz, who holds special sessions for the Mumbai police says that many policemen from the western suburbs have benefited by doing yogic exercises. However, Nait-hani says that she does not put the fresh batchmates on exercises directly. “First, we condition them and prepare them for yoga by sthitha prarthana asana prayers. After they are conditioned, we start with various asanas,” she says.
Bharat Patil (54), who is attached with the Khar police station, and has been in the police force for the last 32 years, said that yoga has benefitted him tremendously. “I think that every individual must perform yoga for a better life,” he says. When asked about his stressful job, Patil says, “It is a professional hazard. We are aware of the pressures at work, when we join the police force and we take up the job knowingly. It is at least better than physical labour, like those carried out by labourers at construction sites,” he says.