Two months on, they brave the elements in line of duty
Aparna Banerji
Jalandhar, June 1
On May 20, Anil Panchal and Azad Khan stood guard at the polling booth at Wakha in Kargil, braving the severe chill of Ladakh. Today they braved the blistering heat of Punjab as the daytime temperatures hovered around 45 degrees Celsius. Despite being polling day today, even booths almost wore a deserted look this afternoon.
While a day’s excursion out in the raging sun proved challenging for many voters, a group of CRPF men kept braving the elements for the past two months to ensure that the polls are conducted in a peaceful manner across the country.
Manning a polling booth in the heart of the city, for CRPF battalion 107’s fiesty men, it was something they are already toughened up for.
Three companies of the CRPF were among the host of paramilitary forces deputed in Jalandhar for the day. For these men who have braved the elements and faced almost every danger, this blistering heat on polling day cannot put wrinkles on their forehead.
Azad Khan was considered dead by his family in the jungles of Dantewada in 2009, but his returning alive sent the family in a joyous mood.
When you ask him, Azad says they have to face death so many times on duty. This is just election duty. Now it does not make any difference to my family either.
Deputed at the Bailadila Range in Dantewada in 2009, Azad Khan and his company were gheraod by 300 to 400 naxals, among the fatalties was an ‘A Khan’. His famly thought he died.
“News informed people that one A Khan was killed in the attack. I was lost deep in the jungle. We were gheraod by 300 to 400 naxals. Then reinforcements were sent in. A COBRA unit (a special unit of the CRPF) and a Special Task Force arrived to rescue us. It took seven to eight days for my family to know that A Khan who had died was somebody else. This poll duty is no challenge compared to those situations,” says Azad Khan of the CRPF battalion 107.
Anil Panchal, deputed on the other side of the booth, says, “It’s been two months since we last visited our houses. But it’s our job. We have had a heartening experience. Our battalion has people from UP, Bihar, MP and other states. So together, it’s a part of a team, a work which we are now used to. Wherever deputations come, we have to go. It’s a job we have to do. After today’s polls, we will get further instructions on what to do next. Before this I was at Wakha (Kargil) for poll duty where it was severe cold. Here it’s hot. But to us it’s all the same.”
In his family, Azad Khan has two sons (twins – two years old), and wife, a staff nurse, posted at Jabalpur. After completing his duty, he wants to meet his family.
After their duties at Kargil, the CRPF changed special vehicles and buses to come from Leh to Jammu and from Jammu to Jalandhar. In Jalandhar, they have been putting up at the meritorious school.
