“From 1998 I have not taken any leaves. I have never asked for any medical leaves, neither have I taken any sick leave nor any casual leave,” told Delhi retired Sub-inspector Baljit Singh Rana while talking to The Logical Indian.
A native of Haryana, Kundli village which is an hour away from Delhi, Baljit Singh joined the police department on September 1, 1972. After nine months of training, he got his first posting outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan- 4 court gate number 1.
Baljit Singh told us that as soon as he got into the police department, he decided to give his best to his country. He says, he does not feel the same amount of passion for anything else other than his service. While he saw many of his co-policemen taking unnecessary leaves from their duty, he made up his mind to give his all as a policeman. It has been more than 20 years and to this date, the officer has not gone for a single leave.
“Even when my daughters were getting married, I did my full day duty and then went to attend their wedding in the evening,” said the father of two daughters and a son.
“No retirement for me”
Surprisingly, in 2012, Baljit had got an official retirement from the government of India, but he did not accept his retirement. He says his zeal to work for his country is still on and that is why he wanted to continue his service. Now, it has been more than six years that Baljit is at the nation’s service after his retirement.
“I have told my department that I will try to work for my country till my last breath,” said the 66-year-old.
When asked why he did not take any leaves, he said that his work involves a lot more than one can give. “My duty was always on the development cell, which involves being present on most of the protests that happen almost every day on Jantar Mantar, taking care of the security of the VVIP guest or even at the time of various national and international summits and more. All these are important matters for the country. One mistake in handling any of these issues can lead to big problems. That is why I did not take any leave so that I can at least give my best help to the nation,” said Baljit while talking to us over a telephonic interview.
“When I got into the service, my father said that ‘you are going to work in the coal mine, so now take care that you do not get any stain on your uniform’,” he said while narrating an anecdote.
Baljit has followed a strict routine all his life. After getting up at 5:30, he always started his day with exercise and running. He says, as soon he finishes his daily course of work, his duty time starts. “We can be called as early as possible, like during Yoga day our reporting time was 6 am. At the maximum, we have to report to the field by 9 am. Our entire day is spent on the field. Our duty ends at around 9:30-10 in the night and we only leave after planning next days work,” Baljit said.
Baljit is one of the oldest officers in the Delhi police department. While talking about the current political situation in the country he said that a lot has changed over the years. “I have completed 46 years in the service, and I think, I have seen a lot till now. The current government seems to be very authoritarian. Earlier politicians used to respect us for our work, but now they don’t give much consideration to our service,” says Baljit.
Narrating one of his initial service days, he said that, “I remember arresting former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee before he had become the Prime Minister of the country. He was sitting next to me in our police jeep 5088,” he said.
“Will work free of cost.”
Baljit also told us that after his retirement, for one year, the government gave him an allowance of Rs 10,570 per annum for his service. Baljit did take the first year’s allowance, but later in a written application, he told the government that he would not take any further allowance and will work free of cost for the nation.
“That money was not making much difference to me. So, I decided to work without an allowance, also that money that can be used by the government for some other purpose,” said the 66-year-old.
The retired Sub-inspector is now holding the position in Delhi Parliament police station as a consultant development officer.
“My family helped me to do so”
“As soon as I got married, I told my wife that my job is very hectic, but she never complained about anything,” said Baljit. He says that his family has always been peaceful. “They did not demand anything from me, but it was my duty to take care of them as well, so I did,” he added.
He told us that whenever after his office he got the time, he took his wife and kids for outings. “We have watched movies in cinema halls in Connaught Place. At the time we would go to India gate to spend some time together,” he adds.
The Logical Indian community applauds Mr Baljit for his commendable service and dedication towards his work and the nation. It is because of honest officers like him that there is still hope for a change in India. We hope that many more Baljits would serve the nation with equal enthusiasm.
Also read: Andhra Pradesh: Former President Of BJP City Wing Tries To Run His Car Over Traffic Cop, Arrested