An Unlikely Police Chief: From and To Jaisalmer House by Vohra B.L

Author:Vohra, B.L. [Vohra, B.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Konark Publishers Pvt Ltd
Published: 2022-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Back to Delhi

I n Delhi, I joined the BPR&D in May 1975. The office was in a rented building in Safdarjung Development Area. Though happy to be back in Delhi primarily to look after my ailing father, logistics became a problem. Getting a government house in Delhi at that stage of service was difficult, so I was staying at Bharat Nagar in my parents’ house in north Delhi, my original home. Transport was another problem. No government jeep or car was provided as this organization was nascent and perhaps considered less important than other governmental organizations. There was just one car available, only for the Director. I became an office babu once again, going to work in a chartered bus with my tiffin box in hand for lunch.

To reduce the commuting time, my wife and I looked for a flat on rent nearby but couldn’t afford the rent. Luckily, someone told me that I could soon get a one-room flat in the transit hostel accommodation for government officers at Curzon Road (now Kasturba Gandhi Marg) which has quite a few such flats in multi-storeyed buildings. The very next day, I went to the Estate Office and got a ground floor apartment in B Block. To our relief, at least one problem was solved as my travelling distance was cut down by at least half. After a few months doing research work in my organization, I was posted as the AD (Administration). To make life easier, I started looking for an office space for the BPR&D near my flat. God must have noticed my wish because a few days later, as I was out for a walk in a lane just outside the hostel premises, I saw an old barrack-type government building being vacated. I promptly made inquiries, went to the Estate Office and got it allotted for the office. After some renovation work, the office was shifted there and my office commute became a few minutes’ walk from my flat. What could be a bigger luxury than that in a big city like Delhi!

I was quite happy with the work I had to do. There was a lot to do on the administrative side. Three Central Forensic Science Laboratories and three Central Detective Training Schools in Calcutta, Hyderabad and Chandigarh were part of the BPR&D, and I had to visit these occasionally for work. Dr S. Venugopal Rao of the Andhra cadre, a scholarly man, was the Director. K.K. Dave was number two in the organization as well as in charge of the training division. S.K. Malik was an IG located at Calcutta to look after the forensic labs. I had a good rapport with officers like T.G.L. Iyer, Deputy Director, and T.R. Kalra and B.R. Luthra, both ADs. I learnt a lot from these good souls, who enjoyed laughter along with their drinks. Unfortunately, they both have left for heavenly abode.

Soon after we shifted to the new office at Curzon Road, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency in the country on 25 June 1975 after she lost an election petition in the Allahabad High Court.

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