‘Want to make something of myself’: How three men from the slums of Delhi found sanctuary in an unlikely place — a police library

Krishna Saroj (22), Siddhant Kumar (22) and Divye Bansal (23) come from the hinterlands of what is one of Delhi’s upscale neighbourhoods — while Divye and Siddhant live in Zamrudpur village, Krishna comes from the shanties of Kalkaji.

On Tuesday, the three men sat sheepishly in the library’s office as Sharmila Goyal, chairperson and director of the Empowered Women’s Association (EWA), the group that runs the library – swelled with pride for “her kids”.

“These children come from such impoverished backgrounds… they become susceptible to engaging in crime or drugs. It helps the police to engage with the public, too and earn the people’s trust. It’s a win-win situation, you know? I had full faith that we would get good results from these kids,” Goyal said, beaming at the three.

Siddhant studied for his Maths Honours degree from a distance-learning college in his hometown in Bihar, while simultaneously preparing for the Staff Selection Commission Multi-Tasking Staff (SSC MTS) exam.

“All my cousins have government jobs and I wanted to be like them… I thought I’d go for the Armed Forces but then they introduced a scheme, where, after four years of service, 25% of the recruits are laid off. I wanted a stable life… and I wanted financial security for the sake of my family,” he said.

For Krishna, the motivations were different. He had seen what a private sector job was like and had developed a distaste for it. “I studied engineering and interned with a construction company for the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project… I couldn’t believe that after working so hard, I was still working under the sun like my father did. I then decided to get a government job. There is security and social status, and they take care of your medical costs, too. You don’t get that in the private sector,” he said. He gave the Railway Technician exam.

Divye took his Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (SSC CGL) exam in January. However, when the results were declared last week, he couldn’t find his name anywhere on the list. Later, on checking the withheld results list, he realised why. “One of the examinees had sent a proxy in their place to give the exam. Because of him, everyone’s identity and credentials were being double-checked,” he said.

“I stopped coming to the library after that because I was so demotivated.”

Divye had grown up watching his father, Sub-Inspector Sukhbir Singh, work in the Delhi Police. After he received the Police Medal for Gallantry from the President on Independence Day in 2018, Divye decided he’d take his father’s legacy forward. “Kuch toh banna hai (I want to be someone),” he said.

SI Singh was part of a five-member team from Delhi Police’s Special Cell that killed gangster Neetu Dabodia in a shootout in 2013.
Goyal said, “I told him not to worry, that we’ll work on a Plan B, we’ll appeal the results… and brought him back to the library.”

However, Divye still hasn’t told his parents that the exam results are out. “I don’t want them to worry needlessly.

The library was set up with the help of the NGO in December 2023 under the name Navya Disha. It initially registered 300 children, however, after a vetting process, the number was brought down to 100. “Within that 100, around 50 children use the library regularly for their studies. 30 of the 50 students are called our ‘Super 30’ — children we see potential in who receive special attention and help from us,” said Goyal.

At Krishna’s house — one of the hundreds in the cramped bylanes of Govindpuri’s Navjeevan Camp, which he shares with two cousins, two uncles and an aunt — the family is overjoyed by the exam results.

“When I got the news, I cried out of happiness,” said Krishna’s uncle, Lalji. “He’s the first child in our family to pass a government exam… we didn’t tell anyone in the village that he was preparing… we were worried they’d ask questions and it would be embarrassing if nothing happened…,” he said.

Krishna, however, attributed his success to his aunt, Kusum. “She takes care of all the housework, makes sure I eat on time and packs my lunches for me before I leave for the library early in the morning. People say her work is easy and all she has to do is stay at home. But, it’s very difficult.”

His family is originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh, and he grew up in Ahmedabad, where his father works as a fruit vendor. His mother is in Pratapgarh, working as an agricultural labourer.

For Siddhant’s mother, Rinki, the exam results meant her son could get the opportunity to live a better life, to leave their one-room apartment for better circumstances. “One worries less about girls… with boys, you’re always worried about them getting into the wrong company… kids in this area get into crime or drugs,” she said. While his mother stays at home for her children, sometimes taking up tailoring to earn some extra money, his father works as a night guard in Nehru Place.

“It was tough for Siddhant to study at home. His father comes back home in the morning and needs the room to be quiet so he can sleep. We decided to send him (Siddhant) to a private library in Laxmi Nagar,” she said, explaining that the library fees would cost the family Rs 1,200 a month.

Siddhant later told his parents about the library in the police station after Goyal conducted an awareness programme in Zamrudpur. “He studies at all hours of the night,” Rinki said with a smile. “We believed that he would crack the exams.”

Back at the library, Goyal is almost like a mother figure to the students — asking whether they’ve eaten, keeping a keen eye on the daily attendance register, and calling students who have not come to the library or sternly admonishing them for wasting their time instead of studying.

When gangsters shot down a gym owner right next door to the police station last year, she rounded up the students who had gone to the crime scene out of curiosity and shepherded them back.
The police, too play their roles as guardians quite well, Goyal said. Beat officers in the area ensure the children reach home safely at night; some beat officers even ensure the children come to the library on time.

“I don’t think any of it would be possible if we didn’t have the complete support of the SHO, Inspector Bhanu Pratap,” said Goyal.

“I try to give these children a sense of community. Any celebration in the thana… I’ve insisted that the children be invited for them too. It keeps their motivation up,” she added.

“And we feel motivated to study when we see the policemen work from close quarters,” added Krishna.