Prayagraj/Mumbai: Young, energetic, polite and foodie, would be the apt adjectives to describe the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police that are deployed for Kumbh Mela 2019. While these police forces are seen doing their duty with dedication, one cannot ignore their appetite for chaats (savory snack) and other food items. Not just chaats, the UP Police has a sweet tooth too. Bunch of Khakimen were spotted feasting on gulab jamun and jalebi, along with a chai ki chuski which is a common scene in Prayagraj.
A group of officers on duty at the banks of river Yamuna stopped at one of the stalls, to enjoy their dose of chaat for the day. As they munch on their snacks, we asked the seller if these officials pay them for their chaat. To which he replied, “Of course, they do.” For someone who comes from Mumbai, who usually sees most police officers taking freebies, it was a huge surprise to see these officers shell out money for their food.
Despite the eating habits of these officers, they are still fit. While these officers paid for their food, they were seen taking free rides in autos (sharing seat with the autodrivers) as these officers had to travel long distance from their duty station to their places of residence (homes in Prayagraj or tents in other end of mela).
It is estimated that around 10,000 police officials including paramilitary personnel were deployed at the mela. These officials end up standing at their assigned locations for over 12 hours. While some have been deployed since November, there are others that joined the mela duty in January.
As per reports, most of these officers are below the age of 40. Most of these officers were abreast about the various activities and locations in the mela even though these officers are not locals of Allahabad. These police officers and other personnel have been serving the public for over 10 hours per day. An official said, “We are residing in tents since November. After mela, we will be heading to our respective homes.”
At times these police officers had to face the irk of public when streets had to be barricaded for VIPs. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, an elderly lady said angrily is this the way police manages a mela. Adding to it, a young personnel said that during the VIP visits there are barricading which impacts movement of people and vehicles, and they have to bear the anger of VIPs and public at the same time.
