Sikkim Cop Refuses to Budge from Duty Despite Hailstorm, Hailed by Netizens

Gangtok, April 10, 2020:

Sikkim traffic cop hailed for his unflinching resolve towards his duty despite hailstorm

Ever since the Narendra Modi-led Central Government announced a 21-day lockdown, the relationship between police personnel and the citizenry has been shaky, to say the least. Now, however, the determination shown by a Sikkim traffic cop for his unflinching resolve towards his duty has earned him the praise of all and sundry.

Yesterday, the Sikkimese capital Gangtok was hit by a hail storm after a heavy spell of rain. All over, the streets bore a snowy Christmas-ey look as chunks of hail fell uniformly across the city, creating the illusion of a velvet-ey curtain. Even the Paljor Stadium at Gangtok was covered with a white blanket of hail stones. The life in the sleepy Himalayan town got even sleepier with most citizens preferring the safety of their houses.

In the midst of all this, few Sikkimese who were out and about amidst the curfew got to see a unique sight: like a sentinel, a traffic cop stood guard at his post, neither venturing here nor there but staying rooted to the spot.

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Soon, the image of this guardian of the streets found its way into the social media domain, with citizens of Sikkim and beyond lauding him for his steadfast determination. This incident bears extra significance against numerous reports of 'police brutality' in the midst of the lockdown. There have been numerous complaints that cop have badly beaten some people for violating the lockdown. Even in Sikkim, videos of

At the same time, Sikkim, which is yet to report a single case of the COVID-19, is observing the lockdown with the strictest of rules and regulations. Tales from the Himayan state abound in which people are shown

At the same time, however, the cops in the state are on an "extra alert", and the hilly state's residents, barring essential servicemen, have mostly been shut indoors.

Recently, the ennui in Gangtok was broken by the arrival of an unexpected guest: a himalayan black bear which roamed the streets with a kingly attitude. Later, when wildlife personnel turned up to tranquilize the beast, it injured a BSNL employee. It took almost 12 hours of tiring operation to safely rescue a Himalayan Black Bear from BSNL Telephone Exchange situated near MG Marg.

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These are some of the stories that keeps the average Sikkimese going, in the midst of what has been touted as the biggest lockdown in the history of the world. With 1.3 billion people staying indoors and taking simple pleasures in activities like lighting of candles and (in extreme cases) bursting crackers, stories from the outdoors are few and far between.