Majority of the girls toiling in the physical test for the constable’s job in the Punjab Police here belong to the marginalised sections of society.
The physical ability test for women candidates from all districts of Patiala zone is being conducted at the ground of Government College for Physical Education here.
Pressed hard to eke out a living, these girls are giving their best despite odds, so much so that some of them don’t even have sports shoes to run. No Problem. They are running barefoot in the 800-meter race.
A police officer overseeing the recruitment process said that almost 90% girls belong to lowest strata, mostly families of farm labourers or marginal farmers. Some of them had the choice to either buy their lunch or bus ticket to reach their villages, a cop said.
“My father is a labourer and the only earning hand in the family. I am giving my best to bag the job, which I want badly, so that I can help my family live a better life,” said Sarabjit, a national-level boxer, who cleared the physical test. She had come with her younger sister here to take part in the recruitment process.
But, the candidates don’t let their hardships drown their spirits. Hardeep Kaur from Sangrur said she wanted to become an earning hand to help her parents, who toil hard in the fields. “I wanted to be an IPS officer but financial constraints dropped me at the entry level of the police job,” she said with her eyes welled up.
Gamdhoor Singh, father of an applicant from Barnala, said, “I only have two acres of land and marrying my daughter off is a challenge. If she gets the job, it will be easier for me to find a match without spending much on the wedding.” “There is no guarantee of a regular job in teaching, so I applied for constable’s post,” said Barnala’s Gurpreet Kaur, who recently completed her BEd degree.
