Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Long and irregular working hours, no weekly offs and a stressful work environment make policing a challenging job, especially for women.
It becomes even more challenging if they are mothers with young children to take care of. On the eve of Mother’s Day, Free Press talked to some women police officers with field postings in the city to know how they manage their roles as cops and mothers.
A promise before every shift
Shweta Sharma, posted as a sub-inspector at Misrod Police Station, is the mother of four-year-old Keshavi. Her husband works for the jail department. She has to put in extra effort to manage her official duty and responsibilities as a mother. “Sometimes, when my duty commences at 7 am, I have to get up at 5 am to prepare food for her,” she says. Given the nature of her job, her doctor advised her to wean her daughter off breastfeeding within a year. When there is no one at home to look after the child, she brings her to the police station. “When I leave home, I have to promise her that I will bring something for her to make her stop crying,” she says.
Goodbye through window grille
There are occasions when sub-inspector Priyanka Rai, posted at Jehangirabad Police Station, leaves her 16-month-old daughter Pranika sleeping and returns home after the child has gone to sleep. Her husband works in Ahmedabad and she lives alone with her child. “Our duty hours are not fixed. Sometimes, we have to work continuously for 12 to 13 hours,” she says. “I drop her off at my mother’s place while going to work. But her sad face through the window grille keeps haunting me at work,” she says. Her colleagues cooperate with her, but sometimes she has to put up with remarks such as women keep complaining about everything.
Keep an eye through CCTV
Mona Jadone, sub-inspector at Chunabhatti Police Station, lives alone with her four-year-old son Avyukt. Her husband, an engineer, has a job in Hoshangabad. A caretaker has been looking after her son since he was six months old. She has installed CCTV cameras at home, allowing her and her husband to keep an eye on the child through feeds on their mobile phones. “But leaving your child in the hands of a stranger is very distressing. Sometimes, I become very emotional when I see my son playing with the caretaker. I wish I was there,” she says. There are occasions when she is summoned for duty at odd hours and the caretaker is not available. “Then I take him with me to the place of duty,” she says.
Can’t stop worrying
Anita Lodhi, a constable at Kamla Nagar Police Station, is the mother of 10-year-old Avni and five-year-old Abhinav. Her husband works for the agriculture department. “Call it a compulsion or call it a duty, I have to manage both fronts together,” she says. She often brings the children to the police station from school. “Sometimes, I also leave them at home and lock the door from outside. They spend time eating, playing and fighting. But I can't stop worrying about them,” she says. In the evening, she drops them off for coaching and brings her son to the police station after it is over.
