The Policeman (A Thread)
It's nCovid-19 pandemic. You're a constable, incharge of an area known for rampant disobedience of laws.

You beat them, they take your video. You're criticized. You don't beat them, they're on the streets, they take their video. You're criticized. (1/n)

You try explaining them, they shove you aside, call themselves entitled to moving around freely. You're criticized, again.
Your duty nears it's end, and you're unsure of what to do, as every breath of yours on duty is analyzed and criticized. (2/n)

Indian media is relentless on TV and citizens on social media. You're looking for a place to hide or just run away, but your duty prevents you from doing so. Well, even if you manage to run away abandoning your duties, you're called a coward, and criticized again. (3/n)

Finally as you're on your way back home at night, after a 12 hours long shift, you get a call from the residents of a building that a destitute is lying outside their building, driven over by a vehicle. (4/n)

All you've are a pair of gloves and mask, drenched in sweat after a tiring afternoon duty on the roads, driving people back home. You pick up that begger, take him to a civil hospital, as another wait begins for you until the hospital's medicolegal formalities are completed.(5/n)

Your hunger pangs can no longer hold themselves back, so you just go outside and take out your bag of food packed in the morning, the oil from food having smeared the newspaper, making it tear at edges. (6/n)

This isn't the first pic that I'm seeing of a police personnel have a meal in such a heartwrenching situation. I've seen it during my duties at hospitals. Eventually while all the procedures end, the patient is dressed up and adequate medical care is given, it's already 2am.(7/n)

You finally head back home and go to sleep, knowing you've only about 4-5 hours of sleep to help you stand over for the next day for 12 hours. (8/n)

Before sleeping, you tune in to your social media handle, and you see some entitled rich kid, having posted some unruly comments on how police merely watched goons cause menace amidst the curfew phase, and commenting over the inefficiency of police force. (9/n)

You smile over it, and sleep. You cannot defeat keyboard warriors. Ever.

Life can be tough. For all the things framed against police over bribery, corruption and inefficiency, there are several tales of sincerity that go unnoticed. (10/n)

The work of this force is strange, the better you work, the lesser you get noticed, as the society sails smoothly through its routines.

I pen this, after having spent quite a lot of time talking to such police constables on duty. (11/n)

Everything narrated above, is a recurring tale about the thankless job that this section of our society does for us.

Maybe when you see them next time, patrolling a checkpoint as they stop you for necessary checks, thank them for all that they've done without a mention. (12/n)