It was a long commute but finally, I reached Thakurpukur Thana. On my way, the rigours of summer were very evident—as harsh and cruel it can be. There was hardly anyone to be seen on the road and as we crossed the bylanes of the city one thing remained constant. The people from the police force were onguard and on their posts even in this terrible summer. As I was wondering what motivates these men who are not much different from us to display this unflinching devotion towards public service, our driver informed that we have reached.
The architecture of the building has a sombre tone and as I walked through the door, I was surprised to find a contradictory inner atmosphere of the Police Station. The inner atmosphere is uplifting and shows signs of contemporary policing standards. We were greeted by Sujit Mondal, the sole sergeant of the station. Mr. Mondal then took us to the Officer-in-Charge’s chamber.
While we were approaching the OC’s chamber, Mr. Mondol informed us about the force strength in Thakurpukur PS. The interaction with Officer-in-Charge Pradip Kumar Ghosal Was indeed a fulfilling one.
The Thakurpukur Thana has not always been under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Police but as the area’s urbanity grew, the latter gradually took charge of the PS. The Kolkata Police assumed administrative control of Thakurpukur PS on September 1, 2011. Things have changed a lot since then; the general perception of police has significantly improved under the incumbent authorities as my interactions with the local residents led me to believe.
The PS has a larger than usual jurisdiction area of about 10.5 sq. km. It stretches from Biren Roy Road (West) in the north to the boundary of Mouza Hanspukur in the south. The PS also administers the eastern side of James Long Sarani to the western border of Mouja Joka.
The area under its jurisdiction has a population of around 7.5 lakhs. The area is adequately multi-cultural with people from all caste, creed, and religion residing there. Interestingly, former captain of the Indian Cricket team Mr. Sourav Ganguly Is also a resident of the PS area. The area witnesses historically important events like “Sri Sri Maa Chandi Puja” and “Barisha Rath Yatra” taking place alongside the daily Azaan at Panch Masjid all under the jurisdiction of the Police Station.
Mr. Ghosal, the OC of the PS talked about the challenges of the Police Station and how he and his team are working tirelessly to overcome them. The officer explained how by the means of foot patrols, bicycle patrol and RCP patrol they are trying to curb the menace of burglary and snatching in the area. The PS also boasts of a functional network of CCTVs which help them in their continuous endeavour to prevent crimes.
“The area witnesses historically important events like “Sri Sri Maa Chandi Puja” and “Barisha RathYatra” taking place alongside the daily Azaan atPanch Masjid al under the jurisdiction of the Police Station”
Officer’s Speak-
Pradip Kumar Ghosal can only be described as a warm and inviting person. Mr. Ghosal took charge of the PS in 2016. An ardent follower of cricket, Mr. Ghosal and I chatted about the gentleman’s game for quite some time. Though I could not agree with his pick for the best Indian player, Sachin Tendulkar, we agreed to disagree.
Mr. Ghosal joined Kolkata Police in 1990 and started by joining the Special Branch in 1991. As we were talking, Mr. Ghosal spoke about the time he infiltrated a leftist organization while undercover and how he got rewarded for uncovering useful information from the department. Before Joining as the Officer-in-Charge, he worked at the Detective department in various capacities and also was posted as Additional OC of the Detective Department in 2011. Mr. Ghosal explained his love for the uniform mentioning that he belongs to a family of policemen. His father and his grandfather were cops.
The Officer also put forth the idea of community policing and stated various outreach programmes the PS has associated itself with the likes of cricket tournaments, blood donation drives and also helping drug addicts. The Police Station is also involved with project “PRONAM” in which an officer is entrusted with the responsibility of looking after a senior citizen.
Mr. Ghosal’s warmness and professionalism reflect upon the other members of his force also. Each member of the police station reeks of confidence andas we witnessed, each officer istrusted and looked upon by the area’s residents. Thakurpukur Police Station serves as a testament to the transformations that policing has undergone over all these years.
By Our Own Correspondent
