COPS & CHALK: Amihiya police station in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa
BHOPAL: Like most of its peers, Amihiya police station’s stock-in-trade remains FIR. Unlike them, however, it has gone beyond the three dreaded letters – to the full alphabet, blackboards, benches, students and teachers, reports Amarjeet Singh. This police station in MP’s Rewa turns into a classroom daily from 4pm to 6pm as cops fund and run free lessons for over 100 underprivileged children, quietly reshaping young futures and the police’s image. Amihiya cops have been blazing this path-breaking education trail for over eight months. “What started as teaching a handful of children on sheets has now grown into a full-fledged class,” police station in-charge Shiva Agarwal told TOI.Police station school growing with nearly 100 students in RewaFrom a handful of children on sheets, it has now grown into a full-fledged class with nearly 100 students from Class 1 to higher grades and three teachers,” police station in-charge Shiva Agarwal said. Agarwal, who himself taught students while preparing for competitive exams, said the idea was born out of a desire to give back to society and soften fear associated with khaki. “People are scared of police. When children study here, they and their parents see a different face of the police. For us, watching children study inside a police station is a huge stress buster,” he said. The makeshift school runs entirely on contributions from police station staff. “We have consciously avoided donations so that the initiative remains simple and transparent,” Agarwal said. Among the three teachers is an elderly former schoolteacher who lives in a nearby old age home after being abandoned by his family. “This school has given him dignity and purpose again,” Agarwal said. Classes are held in three batches, mostly for children studying in govt schools. “Every day, we have a 15-minute English speaking session, and every Sunday, we conduct personality development classes,” Agarwal said, calling it “a small initiative that is slowly growing”. Teacher Ayush Awasthi expressed pride at the change in the students, calling it “remarkable”. “Some couldn’t even write alphabets. Now they can speak basic English and participate confidently,” Awasthi said. For students like Ananya Mishra, the school has become a happy space. “I love coming here. It helps me in my studies,” she said. In a place meant for law & order, lessons of trust, learning and hope are now being taught, one evening at a time.
