Cops excited' to be on poll duty for the first time

 Hyderabad: The one thing common to S. Karunakar Reddy, SI from Banjara Hills PS, Shahu Mirkhele, a woman constable from Jeedimetla PS, and Dhamma Bheemareddy, constable at Dilawarpur PS, Nirmal district, apart from being in the same department, is that they are all on election bandobast for the first time.

Mirkhele is also a first time voter, while Karunakar Reddy, an ex-navy officer, has exercised his vote only once in his two-decade service.

As first time cops on election duty, they are not just excited but feel honoured to be playing a bigger role-safeguarding the process of democracy, they told Deccan Chronicle. All three joined the police force in 2020.

Karunakar Reddy joined the Indian Navy in 1998 and retired as chief petty officer in 2018.

“As during most elections, I was on the high seas, I could not even use the postal ballot. Only once during my service did I get an opportunity to vote,” he said.

But now Karunakar Reddy is on a mission-spreading awareness among the electorate, particularly the young urban voters, to use their democratic right.

“Anyone who fails to take an hour to go out and vote will regret it for the next five years,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mirkhele says that for the first time she has exercised her vote and that too a postal ballot.

“Now I am excited to take part in the actual event. But the sad part is that even today many people treat the polling day as another holiday. Please utilise this day as we can shape our future,” she appealed.

Bheemareddy had voted during the 2018 Assembly elections, when he was a student.

“But now being a policeman, I have an opportunity to reach out to people and encourage them to vote. I am happy to be in this position,” he said.

Dilawarpur, incidentally, is one of the remotest mandals in Nirmal district.

• Around 20,000 personnel were recruited by the department in 2018 and 2020
• Around 3,000 of them are first time voters