Pune: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday felicitated two police constables of Dattawadi police station who had rescued several persons including children during the flood-like situation in the Janata Vasahat after the canal bank breach.
Police constables Nilam Bharat Gaikwad and Santosh Laxman Suryavanshi were presented certificates of appreciation by the CM in the presence of Police Commissioner Dr K Venkatesham on Tuesday.
The citation of Gaikwad compared her act with that of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and Hirkani. Gaikwad, while carrying a boy on her back, saved 7 to 8 more persons with the help of a rope. Suryavanshi saved three persons.
Gaikwad spent an hour-and-half rescuing people from the gushing waters, mostly women and children, who were completely helpless and caught unawares by the disaster. The 28-year-old policewoman arrived on the scene to find people in a state of panic. She handed over her purse and mobile phone to a stranger and got ready to wade in to rescue people.
After the rescue work was over, Police Commissioner Venkatesham had tweeted her photo stating: “There is a reason why ‘she’ is called ‘shakti’! A picture personifying our call for duty and beyond! Proud of our lady police personnel for doing whatever it took to rescue people in the flood like situation at Sinhagad Road after Canal wall collapse #DutyBeforeSelf”.
