BENGALURU: When all hell breaks loose, police, firefighters and journalists rush towards it. When makeshift shelters at Palace Grounds collapsed in the heavy rain on Friday night, trapping several migrant workers and their children, police constable GN Ravikumar rescued them and guided others towards safety.
Barely three months after being inducted into the force, the 27-year-old, whose training was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, was asked to keep an eye on restive and desperate migrant workers who had gathered at Palace Grounds.
The heavy rain forced him to seek refuge in the shelter erected for them at Tennis Pavilion. "The winds were howling and everyone was inside when a tree fell on the roof. That part collapsed and everyone rushed to another corner of the shelter. I was initially scared. Then I realized that even the undamaged portion of the roof under which people stood was starting to come down. So I rushed towards them and guided them out of that spot," Ravikumar told TNIE.
Along with some youngsters from Odisha, Ravikumar escorted everyone out of the spot, but some were trapped. "A woman stood outside pleading, telling me her child was stuck inside. We went and saw three kids trapped under one portion of the tent. There was a woman, too, who was unwilling to let go of her infant. We took the infant out first. Then we took her and two other kids to safety," he said.
Ravikumar, who holds an MBA degree in Travel and Tourism Management and is a gold medallist from Kuvempu University in Shivamogga, said it was difficult to convince people not to run back into the debris to pick up their purse, or slippers, or bags.
"I had to shout and forcibly keep them out of the pavilion area. Then, we guided them to an open space. NGOs and BBMP came later." The constable, who is attached to the Shivajinagar police station, said the events of that night were scary. "I have never handled anything like that in my life. I was the only cop there and had to manage so many people. I was in tears (of joy) when it was all over."
When BBMP offiicals arrived, they arranged for the workers to be taken to Tripura Vasini for the night, he said.
Shivajinagar inspector Siddaraju was all praise for him. "Ravikumar has just joined and has not even completed his training. He did a commendable job. He has been good at his work since the day he joined." Ravikumar, who was working as a guest faculty member at Kuvempu University, dreams of becoming a sub-inspector some day.