Baby Bhima comes home to Baiyappanahalli police station

In a nice break from the usual thugs that they deal with, Baiyappanahalli police station has a downright loveable guest: a little calf which has now been with them for two weeks.
Police inspector Mohammed Rafi with Bhima the calf | express
Police inspector Mohammed Rafi with Bhima the calf | express

BENGALURU: In a nice break from the usual thugs that they deal with, Baiyappanahalli police station has a downright loveable guest: a little calf which has now been with them for two weeks. And the cops are loving it. It all started on the night of March 30, when sub-inspector Nagaraj and constable Gurki were on duty at the Baiyappanahalli check post, which is close to the police station. They stopped a speeding car and when the driver could not tell them why he was outside in the middle of the night, they decided to check the vehicle.

To their surprise, they found a calf under a sheet of plastic in the car. They brought it out of the vehicle and while they were inspecting the scared animal, the man escaped in the car. Left with no choice, they took the calf to the station.

“The moment I saw this weak calf I decided to name him Bhima. In the Mahabharatha, Bhima is the strongest person and I want our calf to become as strong as him,’’ inspector Mohammed Rafi told The New Indian Express.

Since then, Bhima has over 70 police personnel and other staff attached to the Baiyappanahalli station looking after it. Rafi says the station staff contribute money to purchase 15 litres of milk, dal soaked in water or jaggery, and horse gram, to feed the calf each day. Sometimes, visitors also bring a little something for baby Bhima to snack on.

“As our staff work round-the-clock, they take care of Bhima round-the-clock,” Rafi says. Some of the staff even took the calf to a veterinary doctor for a medical examination and now the doctor visits regularly to check up on the bovine. With all leave cancelled due to the unprecedented vigilance the police are required to keep during the lockdown, caring for the calf is something all staff at the station look forward to.

“Since Bhima has come, there is a positive vibe. It’s like a baby coming home, it changes everything. Before reporting for duty, everyone spends a few minutes with Bhima and then proceeds to start the day’s work. It is a stress-buster too,’’ said Rafi, who hails from Mysuru and has been with the Karnataka State Police for the past 14 years. So will the station be a permanent home for Bhima or will they give it away? “No way! It’s ours. We will take care of him,’’ Rafi says resolutely. 

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