A head constable from Bangalore, also a police trainer in the GSPP project, was on SHO (Station House Officer) duty in his PS one day when he was informed by somone that a young girl was being escorted away from the bus stand (next to the PS) by a young man, and it seemed suspicious. He ran out of the PS, and questioned the couple. The girl, who could barely speak Hindi, seemed to be from Bengal, and about 16 years of age. She said she had wanted to take a train to Pune but got onto a train to Bangalore by mistake. When she got to Bangalore city railway station, nobody could understand her, and so she got onto a bus. When she got off the bus, this young man had come up to her and asked her if she was lost, in Hindi. When she told him her story, he promised her a job in his home; that was where they were now headed. The HC then asked this young man to show him the house to which he was taking the girl, it turned out to be a one room tenement, being shared by three young men, all students. The HC then severely reprimanded the man, and told him that he could easily have booked a case against him, but would let him off with this warning, and watch for any similar activities he might indulge in. The girl he took to the Bangalore Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and she is now safely in the Children’s Home. Clearly a case in which the actions of one head constable prevented a young girl from being abused, and possibly, trafficked into sex work.

There are many other such stories that we increasingly hear from across the state, and hope to share with you. The stories of unsung heroes: both women and men! As we emphasise in our trainings, all it takes is the will to change things… and the courage to make it happen.