Members of the police make news, more often than not, for all the wrong reasons. Not only do many of them revel in an anti-people posture and role, but quite a few are becoming increasingly involved in criminal activities. This is contrary to their service rules which make it incumbent upon them to uphold the rule of law and fight crimes. They are duty-bound to protect the weak and the victims from the wrath of the influential perpetrators and criminals. But they often fail to perform their duty impartially because they are more than ready to oblige the moneyed and the privileged in society -no matter if it is for a wrong cause. Thus the image of the police in general has been sullied more than is admitted.
Of course, there are members who take their job seriously and would not stop short of giving their best in order to make their agency or organisation proud. An ASI of traffic in Brhamanbaria has gone the extra length to help an examinee of the ongoing Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations. It was a critical moment and the policeman responded to it in the most appreciable manner. The examinee, a girl, mistakenly landed at an examination centre where she had no seat. Discovering this, the girl was crying inconsolably because the centre where she was supposed to appear for exam was at a distance of more than two kilometres. Time was running out for her. So she broke down.
Nobody present there had the presence of mind to help the girl. It is at this crucial juncture that the man in uniform appeared like an angel. He gave the examinee a ride on his motorcycle to her centre and she had no problem appearing there on time. The member of the police acknowledged that a teacher also made a request to him for his help. This shows he is humble enough. He had no intention of taking all the credit for the extra duty he performed.
Sure enough, the policeman could ignore the matter totally or even pay no heed to the teacher's request. But prompted by a superior sense well beyond the call of duty, he decided to help a distraught examinee. The gravity of the situation cannot be overemphasised because this year examinees are instructed to enter examination halls half an hour before the scheduled time. This is the first public examination in the life of a student in this country that mostly decides his/her academic life. If the girl could not enter the examination hall because of her delay or even she was allowed to sit for exam on her late arrival, the consequences could be awful for her. Either she had to postpone exam this year or her exam would be unsatisfactory on account of her psychological devastation.
Neither of the prospects is welcome to an examinee. She will forever remain grateful to the policeman for his help. Employees and officers of the republic often treat the public condescendingly as if the latter are their subjects and they are the lords of all they behold. Here the premise is wrong. Not all people are criminals and they deserve respect and their dignity must be recognised. The attitude most of the time is at variance with this notion of relations based on mutual respect and cooperation. It is a colonial legacy and does not make society proud. Had there been normal relations between functionaries of the state and the common people, the ASI's help beyond duty's call would not look extraordinary.
