We’re a generation that’s obsessed with the internet. We love to talk about our lives on it, share photos on it and comment on how others are doing. In addition to that, being humble and faking respect for others has become a trend as well. That feeling occasionally peaks on Father’s Day or Mother’s Day and lies dormant for the rest of the year. Thankfully, the cops at Mumbai’s Sakinaka station aren’t like that as they took the responsibility of an elderly woman who was desperately in need of help.
According to DNA, 65-year-old Lata Shivraj Singh became homeless after her house was demolished in an anti-encroachment drive. So, she approached the Mumbai police for help. Police Sub-Inspector Nilesh Bhalerao said,
“I was at station house duty when she walked in. She did not appear like a beggar but was asking for shelter. She told me she used to be a cleaner at a dispensary at Mohali Pipeline area in Sakinaka and had stayed at the same place for 20 years.”
Bhalerao added that due to the anti-encroachment drive, Lata was now homeless and jobless. After the deaths of her husband and son, her last resort was her daughter-in-law, who had refused to take her in.
Due to Lata’s age, the police couldn’t accommodate her in their woman’s room on the 3rd floor. So, they got her a place in a temple. But the real kicker came when they started asking old-age homes for help.
“We made calls to several old-age homes, politicians, social workers and NGOs and requested them to give shelter to Lata Shivraj Singh. But none of them agreed to keep her. Some said they didn’t have a place for her.”
That’s right. These are those politicians and social workers who’ll lecture everyone regarding almost everything. But when push comes to shove, you’ll find every kind of excuse in existence.
However, that didn’t stop PSI Bhalerao from finding a home for Lata. What made their act even more laud-worthy was the cumulative effort to help her financially.
Having lost her job as well as shelter after demolition of the hospital she worked & lived at, Lata ji trusted Sakinaka Police & was definitely not let down by PSI Nilesh Bhalerao & rest of D staff.She was given a warm farewell & a bond of a lifetime was built in less than 24 hrs pic.twitter.com/nznHWra070
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 17, 2018
“The station has a staff of around 250 personnel and all of us contributed in our own capacity to build a ₹ 30,000 fund for her. I will get a bank account opened for Lata Shivraj Singh so whoever wants to help can deposit money for her. After all, she is like my mother. Who would want to see their mother struggling to find a home?”
This is certainly one of the most heartening things that I’ve seen and adds to Mumbai Police’s already long line of chivalrous acts. While we can learn on how to generous for real from them, the authorities should really look into the consequences of their anti-encroachment drives.