Team L&M
If you thought Delhi Police is only registering FIRS, solving crimes and on occasions, like it happened on January 26 in the National Capital, countering antisocial elements then you need to know more about them. The men in khaki, at the RK Puram police station, are rendering another service to our society. In the premises of the police station in this South West Delhi police station, a full-fledged library, equipped with smartboards and computers for children, has been opened. It was in December 2019 that the library was initially opened but then Covid-19 hit the world and it had to be shut.
Open between 9 am and 5 pm through the week, the centrally air-conditioned library is wi-fi-enabled and CCTVs have been installed at strategic locations for security purposes. There are over 4,000 books, including ones for competitive examinations like architecture, engineering, fashion, medicine, design).
As the library is inside a police station, it is a safe and secure place where the parents don’t mind sending their children: Rajesh Kumar Sharma, SHO, RK Puram
Depending on requirement, guest lectures, online or offline, are also organised by the cops. “If we find children struggling with a particular subject or topic, we organise lectures by faculty from Delhi University or Jamia Milia Islamia,” informs SHO RK Puram Rajesh Kumar Sharma. When asked as to that what prompted them to start this library, he says, “There are a number of slum clusters in our area which has kids who dropout from school due to various reasons. They then get involved in criminal and illegal activities. It was after observing these kids that we thought of setting up a place where they can come to study and utilise their time. As it is inside a police station, it is a safe and secure. And parents have no issues sending their children here.” At any given time, around 100 children can study here.
I often visit the library and chat with them, and try to help them if they have any query regarding history as I have been a history student: Ingit Pratap Singh, DCP, South West
“It was a decade back when I was undergoing training at the South East district that the idea first struck me. This was after I heard the then DCP Ajay Choudhary talk about opening a library in Jamia. I had decided back then that whenever I become a DCP, I’ll open a children’s library in one of the police stations,” says DCP South West Ingit Pratap Singh.
He further adds that GAIL India and NGO Shikhar Foundation have played an instrumental role in setting up this library. While the PSU helps with books, audio-visual aids and other infrastructure, the NGO provides career counselling. “The best part is the kids being happy and excited. Whenever I get a chance, I visit the library and chat with kids, trying to help them if they have any query regarding history as I have been a history student,” says Singh.
Singh puts in that more such libraries are on the anvil, just that there should be demand and a bunch of enthusiastic kids.
