The photo of a Hyderabad traffic policeman feeding an elderly homeless woman has gone viral, earning him accolades from social media users and from the Telangana Home Minister.
On 1 April, Home Guard B Gopal, who was on duty at the junction near Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Kukatpally, Hyderabad, saw a frail-looking older woman, Buchamma, lying on the side of the road, looking exhausted.
Moved by how helpless she looked, Gopal got breakfast for her. Not stopping there, he then went ahead and even fed her with his own hands.
The Hyderabad police’s PRO shared a photo of this, which quickly went viral, earning him praise from several quarters, including Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar and Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy.
Speaking to The News Minute, Gopal said:
Yesterday, I saw Buchamma (lying on the road side) in a very bad shape. She seemed extremely exhausted. I immediately knew the reason; she was hungry. Since she wasn’t in a position to even lift a finger, I fed her.B Gopal
He added that he had been seeing Buchamma almost every day, and had made efforts to interact with her.
“Five months ago, Buchamma was hit by a vehicle. We took her to the hospital then and took care of her. Since then, she is quite close to the department people who are on duty near the junction,” he said.
Buchamma has now been sent to a welfare home in Cherlapally.
The story of Buchamma is quite sad. She has nine children, but all of them abandoned her. I hope at least one of them will come in search of her and take her home.B Gopal
He further said, “I was extremely upset about the things I heard regarding police people. Almost everyone says that we lack compassion and humanity. But that’s not the truth. We do serve the people, but people no longer appreciate us. Hopefully, after seeing that picture, at least a few might rethink about their preconceived notions.”
Another constable, Jahangir from the Kukatpally traffic police station, was recently given a cash prize by the commissioner of police for helping a girl who got lost. The constable noticed the child and immediately located her father, and reunited the two.
(This article was originally published on The News Minute. It has been republished with permission.)
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