In a first, a Delhi policewoman will be promoted out-of-turn under the new incentive scheme announced by the Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava.
Head Constable Seema Dhaka, 33, was awarded the promotion for tracing 76 missing children and reuniting them with their families. Dhaka, posted as Head Constable at in Outer North District's Samaypur Badli Police station "has been granted Promotion out-of-turn by CP Delhi for recovery of 76 missing children in the last 3 months," the Delhi Police said.
"She is the first woman officer to be given Promotion out-of-turn under the new incentive scheme announced by the CP, Delhi for the recovery of missing children. By her efforts, she has been able to bring joy and happiness to the affected families. Delhi Police is proud of her," they added.
To accomplish this feat, Dhaka reportedly did not take a single day off for almost three months. She would go home for only two-three hours on most days and even if she got a clue about a child in the middle of the night, Dhaka would leave to follow it up at that very hour, reported Hindustan Times.
Dhaka, who is a farmer's daughter from Uttar Pradesh's Shamli and has an eight-year-old son, said that some of the children have developed a special bond with her and a few of them even wept when she handed them over to their respective families.
"I am happy that my efforts have been recognised. This will motivate me, and probably will encourage others too. All the children I traced were during the pandemic," Dhaka told NDTV. "It gave me immense happiness when parents were reunited with the children and they showered blessings on me. Today, as I am promoted, my happiness has doubled," she added.
Speaking about her struggle in tracing the children during the pandemic, Dhaka said that it was a difficult task as the trains were not running during the lockdown. "Since trains were not running during the COVID lockdown, it turned out to be a little difficult when I was travelling out of Delhi. Some parents, due to the lockdown, had gone back to their hometowns. So I had to make an effort to try and find their addresses," she said.
Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava congratulated Dhaka and said, "Women HC Seema Dhaka, PS Samaypur Badli, deserves congratulations for being the first police person to be promoted out of turn for recovering 76 children in 3 months under incentive scheme. Hats off to fighting spirit and joy brought to families."