'Want to retire while being on duty'

Says 58-year-old ASI Mane who has been with the police force for last 38 years and has a handful of days before retiring

Following the unfortunate death of three officials from the force due to COVID-19, the Mumbai Police Department asked all personnel above 55 years to go on paid leave till the lockdown.

However, 58-year-old Vijay Mane, ASI (Assistant Sub-Inspector) at Samta Nagar Police Station is still reporting to duty every day. Mane, who has been with the force for the last 38 years, is due to retire on May 31.

Mane says that his seniors did ask him to stay home but now with just 20-odd days of his service left, he wants to retire while being on his duty. On Tuesday morning too, he brought a bus full of migrant workers to CSMT so they could board their Bihar bound train.

“I have been working in the department for the last 38 years. My first posting was at Naigaon Local Arms. In my service of 38 years, I encountered several circumstances such as the 1992–93 riots, the 2006 local train blasts, but the current Coronavirus situation is very different,” Mane told mid-day.

According to Mane, during the entire service, he has been deployed in the police stations of Zone 11 and Zone 12. Apart from this, he has also done duty in local arms for more than 10 years and was deployed during festivals such as Ganeshotsav, Dahi Handi and Ramadan.

"During the 1992-93 riots, I was posted with Borivali police station. We had imposed curfew at several places and made sure that no one left their houses. We also knew the miscreants and ensured that they remained under check during the entire period. However, the COVID-19 situation is completely different. It’s like we have an unknown enemy in front of us but we don’t how it will come," he said.

Mane also said that his father was a policeman and he got the will to join the force from his father. "Since the day I wore the uniform, the courage to work in every situation came to mind, and even now I don’t want to sit home," he said.

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