Vijayawada SI chooses duty over mother's funeral

Hyderabad: While most people in India are spending time with their families amid the lockdown, police officers, on the other hand, are working round-the-clock making sure the plan to stop the spread of Corona virus is running smoothly by stopping people from defying the lockdown orders.

SI Shantaram is a fine example of someone who leads through example as he chose his duties over attending his mother's funeral.

"Our SI sir comes from Vizianagaram and works in Vijayawada. He lost his mother three days ago in his hometown. Even after being granted a leave to attend the last rites, he chose to stay back and attend his duties as a police officer since he has a large role to play in making sure that the community remains safe during the lockdown," said a police officer.

The SI himself said, "If I had to go to Vizianagaram for the funeral, the journey would take me three days and I must cross four districts and 40 checkposts, meeting many people on the way. This can up the chances for the spread of Corona virus. Also, I would have to quarantine myself for 15 days upon arrival and I would not be able to participate in the final rites. That's why I have told my younger brother to perform the last rites and proposed to observe the rituals through video call if needed. I stayed back to do my duty."

The police officer appealed to the public to respect the efforts that all officers are putting in for the public's safety. He requested them to stay indoors till 14 April in order to tide over the pandemic that has swept across the world.

As police try their best to control the current situation by putting their duty ahead of their personal lives, all citizens must respect the police and obey the lockdown orders set by the government to stop the spread of the Corona virus, he said.