Cops pool money to give tribals education

At first sight, the baton-wielding cops crawling all over the place come as a shock. But then you notice a group of adivasi children in a co...

At first sight, the baton-wielding cops crawling all over the place come as a shock. But then you notice a group of adivasi children in a corner of the Gond basti in Baba Fareed Nagar here parroting the alphabet and the Hindi varnmala after them.

The men in khaki turn up twice daily to give lessons to them. They have been running a school for the 120-odd children in the age group of 3-13 for the past six months.

These kids would otherwise be picking rags or stealing or washing utensils at dhabas. Now they get free books, arranged from money pooled in by the policemen, out of their salaries. The school also has a mid-day meal scheme. It costs a little over Rs 2,500 monthly to run the school.

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Two cops and a lady constable from nearby Supela police station double up as class-teachers at this Akshar-Arkshi Pathshala, after duty hours. They are also the beat constables of the area. Durg SP R.C. Sharma, the man behind this novel mission, says the results of the experiment are amazing.

‘‘This school is a ray of hope for us. All these years, we lived like animals and never thought of education for children. But SP sahib has opened our eyes. We see a new sun rising on us,’’ basti chief Govind Lal says.

A full package is being worked out for these families in consultation with Dena Bank, the SP says.

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