Rajasthan cop readies for return to duty after recovering from Covid-19

Ram Charan Soran, a 28-year-old policeman, was among the first responders ensuring essentials were supplied to the residents so that they do not have to step out when a hard lockdown was imposed in Jaipur’s Covid-19 hotspot of Ramganj to check the spread of the pandemic. He regularly visited the area with teams of health care workers and those distributing food packets. He was also on patrolling duty in Ramganj for some days and worked overtime until April 6 when he developed a mild fever. His worst fears came true four days later when he was tested positive for Covid-19.

Soran said he was shocked to know he had contracted the disease but had no option but to come to terms with it. “Now that I was infected, whatever had to happen had happened,” said Soran, who joined the Rajasthan police in 2018. “Some of us went for voluntary testing because we were working in a hotspot area. My report came on April 10...I tested positive,” said Soran. He was discharged from Jaipur’s SMS hospital on April 23 and quarantined the same day after he tested negative for the disease twice. He will be released from a quarantine centre in the city as per protocol on May 7.

He said he got up early and did yoga during his hospitalisation. “After that, it was mostly about watching videos on my mobile phone and chatting with friends and family. What else could one do there? Doctors came to check us twice daily,” he said.

Soran, who was the first policeman to contract the disease in Jaipur, was more worried about the 15 policemen he stayed with at a barrack, and luckily only one of them contracted the disease. Both of them have since recovered and are looking forward to returning to work once their quarantine period is over. “I want to return to work,” said Soran. He added he was not scared of even returning to Ramganj. “I will perform my duty without fear,” he said. “If my family says anything, I will explain to them also that duty is duty and in whichever area, we have to perform it.”

Ramganj had reported 598 out of Jaipur’s 924 Covid-19 cases as of Saturday and since then the area-wise break-up of the cases has been unavailable.

Soran said half of Ramganj is under the jurisdiction of his police station and they went there several times for work. Two other policemen, who contracted the disease in Jaipur’s walled city area, have also recovered.

Additional police commissioner Ajay Pal Lamba said four policemen tested positive for the virus and three of them have recovered. “We are proud of our men. They are working in the hotspots as well as in other areas without any complaints. The policemen who have recovered will return to duty when they get discharged from the quarantine centres,” he said.