ina Pani Das has been following a routine that has not seen any change since 1982. She would invariably wear a saree while leaving for work, and once in the workplace, she would wear her uniform for she is a police constable.
“I will retire formally next year. I joined the police prior to my marriage. However, I have been able to maintain a work-life balance for close to 40-years now. I have managed to marry off my three daughters during this period. I am planning to spend more time with my family post-retirement,” she told Asom Barta while on duty as a constable in the Panbazar All Women Police Station.
Anushka Sarma (27) joined this police station in 2022. It is her first job. A Political Science graduate from Dibrugarh University, Anushka is keen to march ahead in her professional life with guidance from seniors and the elderly. “I started my professional life by joining the women police station. We face challenges without notice. It can crop up anytime, and anywhere. I am learning the art of decision making from my seniors and my experience,” she said.
Bornali Gohain, 29, is a mother of an 18-month-old child. She has been with the Assam Police since 2017. In December 2022, she was transferred to this Station as a Sub-Inspector. She had been fascinated with the police since her childhood. “Before I come to work, I prepare food for my son. When I am not around, he keeps looking for me, and cries. The respite is that he has a grandmother at home. My husband is posted in Golaghat. We hardly get enough time to be together,” she told this reporter.
Roynok Barbhuiya (33) is a constable and a junior colleague of Bornali, and others.She passed her higher secondary examinations and joined the Assam Police in 2009. However, her burning desire to pursue education enabled her to complete her graduation through the distant mode. A mother of a nine-year-old son, she travels daily from Changsari to Guwahati for duty. “My husband and I are in the same profession. We both are from Silchar. We realise that we are unable to give enough time to our son. Once we don our uniform, we are a different people altogether. Our emotions get a backseat because of our profession. We are not supposed to be weak. There is very little place for emotion in our professional life,” Roynok told this reporter.
It is because of the likes of these dedicated police personnel and many of their colleagues that the Bureau of Police Research & Development ranked this police station, established on October 2, 1993, as the best police station in the State for 2022.
Anita Patar (30) being one of them. She is in the second trimester of her pregnancy. Before her pregnancy, she used to travel to her work from Mirza, but now she resides at a rented accommodation in Guwahati to be in her workplace on time. She supported her education by doing domestic chores in other households. Later, she joined the police. “I had been through a tough time. I have learnt to take hard decisions in life,” she told this reporter.
Sabita Goala (27), Shelly Chorei (28) and M Thadoi Sinha (29, and a mother of a one-month-old child) are among other members of the dynamic team that comprises a very sensible and yet formidable team here. Their experiences like their challenges are varied and yet have some similarity. However, what connects all of them to this thread is their dedication and commitment to the profession. They all acknowledge that they are employed there to serve the society.
Among them the case of Bulbuli Das is different. She had her training in the police in 1992. A mother of three daughters and two sons, she joined her present responsibility in 2014. “It was never easy for me. I encountered resistance from my family. However, I ploughed on. Today, I am happy to be here, and contributing to society,” she told this newsletter.
Twinkle Goswami who is the Officer In-charge of this police station since December 2021 said, “We work like a family. Each one of us takes care of the other, when needed. We are ever vigilant for any challenge throughout the day. Earlier, we would work on any issue whether involving a male or a female. Now, our focus is women and children. Cases related to rape, molestation, child marriage, take most of our attention. Night or day, it just does not matter. We are up there for any responsibility,” Goswami, who joined the police in 2008 as Sub-Inspector and had served in Jorhat, Darrang, Kamrup, told this reporter.
