"Help us to help you" – Impassioned pleas from C R Geetha, Station–in-Charge of the Fraser Town (Pulakesinagar) Police Station!
And rightly so, according to this writer, since the general trend is for the public to disbelieve or mistrust the Police. Geetha has been in charge of Traffic for East Division for more than four years and finds that except for a very small percentage of the general public within the limits of her jurisdiction, the majority do not wish to either come into the station or call the police at any given point of time.
Geetha (third from left) after the award. Pic courtesy: Geetha.
At first glance C R Geetha could be any young aspirant in the Police with her charming, often disarming smile and easy going ways. She puts one at ease immediately by actually listening to you when you approach her whether at the Station or anywhere else on her various rounds.
Thrice Gold Medallist in B. A., Geetha was laughed at by all her colleagues and friends when she announced her decision to join the police force back in 1998. Slim as a reed and looking many years younger than the rest of the applicants, Geetha surprised everyone when she not only passed her Physical but also got accepted immediately and was sent for training to the Karnataka Police Academy, Mysore.
An exceptionally bright student right through school and college, it came as no surprise to her family and friends when Geetha stood out at the academy among the twenty female and one hundred and eighty-one male police.
At her first posting at the Commercial Street Police Station, Geetha showed good insight and handled many successful cases. She was transferred to High Grounds Police Station where she was put on VIP and VVIP duty. Geetha recollects how she and her team would perform their duties come rain or shine.
One particular incident brings a smile to her face when she tells this writer how she was approached by her senior when she was standing without shelter in pouring rain and offered a cup of coffee thus giving her a chance to take shelter and let her guard down for the brief minutes as he shared some words of wisdom ‘Do not try to fight Nature’.
Geetha (second from left) with Traffic Police chief Praveen Sood. Pic courtesy: Geetha.
From 2008, Geetha has been in charge of Fraser Town Traffic limits – these cover Fraser Town Law & Order, DJ Halli L&O and KG Halli L&O till Nagawara – up to the Outer Ring Road.
Residents of Richards Town shared with this writer that Geetha has always come to their aid and rescue and is always available to lend a patient ear or land up at the scene of the mishap or crime.
Be it an individual, an Association or a Company Geetha has yet to turn her back on a call of distress! Being a woman in the Police Force will have its disadvantages and Geetha has had flak from many areas – professional and sometimes personal. But the support and guidance of some of her seniors in the Department have helped her bounce right back and face anything that is thrown her way. Threats have been made and insults have been flung at her but Geetha has stood her ground and worked her way up slowly and steadily.
"God has sent me angels all the time," says Geetha with her brilliant smile. Geetha has been awarded the DG Ajay Kumar Singh award for Bangalore City. She has also recently been awarded the Chief Minister’s Gold Medal and the Excellence Award for E-Governance as team leader. ⊕