PUNJAB: In IPS officer of Punjab cadre, Mandeep Singh Sidhu is a man of many parts. He organizes cycle rallies against drug abuse, arranges scholarships for deserving daughters of deceased farmers, and lends a helping hand in the construction of skating and boxing rings for the state’s youth to realize their sporting ambitions, besides promoting the Punjabi language.
Currently posted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (HQ), Sidhu is a highly decorated officer who has been awarded President’s police medal for meritorious service, the Chief Minister’s Medal for Outstanding Devotion to duty and the DGP’s commendation disc.
“I have learnt a lot from our society, so I want to contribute back. Though my efforts are at a very small scale, I hope these efforts spur positivism in our society,’’ says the police officer.
Last month Sidhu hosted the biggest cycle rally in Asia against drugs at Ludhiana where he was posted as the Police Commissioner, a rally that made into the Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records with participation of more than 25,000 people of whom almost 10,000 were youngsters, including school children. The rally was organized on the martyrdom day of Kartar Singh Sarabha, the youngest freedom fighter of the country.
This was not the first time Sidhu organized a cycle rally saying “no to drugs”. In 2017 he organized a similar rally, when posted as the Senior Superintendent of Police of Sangrur in which around 6,000 people participated. In 2022 around 16,000 people participated in one of his rallies.
Reiterating the commitment of the police in combating drug abuse, Sidhu says that such events remind citizens that it is not just the responsibility of law enforcement agencies, but of the entire community to work together in eradicating the drug menace. “By organizing such events we aim to bring about a positive change in society,” he says.
Besides relentless activism against drug abuse, in a bid to promote education among students in government schools and ensure they do not drop out due to financial problems, in 2022, Sidhu launched an initiative, with assistance of private patrons, under which tuition fees of more than 4,800 government schools students were paid.
“The children of the poor and underprivileged study in government schools. Paying one year fees of these children ensured they do not drop out of education even if their parents are unable to pay for their studies. When I started, it was on a small scale. People joined in and contributed for promoting education,” Sidhu says.