BENGALURU:The VV Puram police station got its youngest officer on Tuesday. When 12-year-old ‘Inspector’ Shashank ‘took charge’ from the serving Inspector T D Raju around 10.30am, his colleagues gave him a prompt salute. He told the waiting media later that the first thing he wanted to do was ‘ban liquor’.
Shashank was on cloud nine as his dream of becoming a police inspector came true, even if only for an hour. His parents, daily wage labourers, and senior police officers were witness to an emotional one hour. Shashank suffers from Thalessemia, a blood disorder, and Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organisation, after learning of his wish of becoming an inspector, decided to fulfil it. They then approached S D Sharanappa, DCP-South, who readily agreed to the request.
Shashank, armed with a dummy weapon and looking smart in the uniform, was taken on a tour of the police station and introduced to the staff as the new ‘police inspector’. They explained to him their routine duty. He was speechless when each policeman gave him a salute.
Shashank hails from Chintamani in Chikkaballapur district. He was diagnosed with Thalessemia when he was five years old. Currently he is undergoing treatment at a government hospital in the city.
Like any little boy, a policeman was his hero and he wanted to become one when he grew up. On Tuesday, the police picked him up from the hospital and brought him to the police station. After his ‘duty hour’, he was dropped back.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Inspector T D Raju said, “It was a special moment for me and I was moved when I saw the joy in Shashank’s eyes. We felt blessed that we got a chance to fulfil his wish and enable his parents witness their child’s dream come true.”
Talking about how the illness has affected the boy, his mother said, “He falls ill frequently. His sugar level keeps increasing and he feels exhausted most of the time. And because of this, he hasn’t been able to attend school for two months now. He’s a 6th grade student studying in a government school.”
Elated, says ‘Inspector’ Shashank’s father
Shashank’s father says he was elated to see him in the police officer’s uniform and hopes for a speedy recovery so that the boy can grow up and fulfil his dream of being in the police force. Shashank’s parents work as daily wage labourers in Chintamani.According to Nethra, an assistant programme coordinator of Make-A-Wish Foundation, these kind of initiatives put the children on the road to speedy recovery and motivates them to come out of the trauma.