Like others, he has a house where he wants to spend more time, talking with family, having lunch together, sitting together with them, and watching a movie on TV. Everyone in his family would be happy to see him around. Especially in this time of the pandemic, when radio, TV, and mobile ringtones are constantly disseminating the message that one must stay at home if one has to be safe.
For Ashok Singh, all this is a luxury. And it has been so nearly for a year because he is not a civilian. He has a greater responsibility to shoulder at this moment, he has been tasked to ensure that people follow the safety measures so that they would be safe. He has been tasked to ensure that everyone can be safe.
He is the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP).
Prohibitory order has been imposed all over the nation and you are expected to stay at home. But it’s not so with police personnel like SSP Singh. They are there in the streets and the hospitals for the whole day and night enforcing prohibitory orders, making the people wear masks, and follow the social distancing norms.
“We are unstoppable and we pledge to continue all our works responsibly by overcoming all the hurdles that will be observed during the duty hours,” he said.
SSP Ashok Singh, Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range has seen how the pandemic has changed the way we conduct ourselves in society. “It has created a number of changes in our working mechanism, and with that, it has also impacted various aspects of human life and society,” said Ashok Singh.
“Nepal Police is giving the best it can in every area we are responsible for,” he said. For the police, whatever the situation, we have to work. We cannot stop, he said. “We are unstoppable and we pledge to continue all our works responsibly by overcoming all the hurdles that will be observed during the duty hours,” he said.
The second variant is more deadly than the first one because the cases are surging unexpectedly. It has already created a devastating situation in the country. Our life has faced the greatest threat but we can overcome that threat only with collective effort, says SSP Singh. But people’s negligence about safety rules worries him. “Only when we all strictly follow all the safety protocols can we break the virus chain,” he said.
“For now people are more important for us than our family. People are dying and we must do what we can to save them,” he said.
In order to restrain the virus, along with many other tasks the police department is also involved in gathering the oxygen cylinders from different parts of the country and handing them over to Covid-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC). There is no defined duty for the police officer during times of emergency. We have to do everything if that helps save lives, he said.
Covid-19 is but one of the issues the police are taking care of. We need to take care of security issues as well, he said. “Police have to stay alert under any circumstances. Police have been deployed for the security of patients and medical personnel in all the hospitals,” he informed.
Singh has not been able to give time to his family. None of the police personnel have been able to. “We are on duty for 24 hours. During the pandemic we are on duty every single moment,” he said. “For now people are more important for us than our family. People are dying and we must do what we can to save them,” he said.
Singh urges everyone to be equally responsible towards society. He believes only our unity and loyalty towards the nation can beat this pandemic. “Please inform us if you are in trouble. We will do everything possible to help you out,” he said.
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