A tragedy that befell their colleague galvanised police personnel in the entire district when they mobilised over ₹16 lakh in a single day to help his family in distress.
Sebi, a civil police officer at the Kalady station, was traumatised when his wife and two little daughters suffered severe burn injuries when he was away on duty last week. While his wife suffered 98% burns, her daughters, aged six and eight, suffered 52% and 35% burns. They were rushed to a private hospital in the city where the District Rural Committee of the Kerala Police Association handed over an immediate aid of ₹25,000, besides a medical aid of ₹2 lakh from the District Police Society, ₹30,000 from the Kerala Police Welfare and Amenity and ₹2 lakh from the State Welfare Bureau.
Unfortunately, the officer’s wife died on the third day, and the girls had to be shifted to a hospital in Coimbatore for expert care as their condition had worsened.
Sebi had another shock when it emerged that ₹25 lakh would be needed for her daughters’ treatment, which was beyond his means. At this point, his colleagues from across the district under the aegis of the Kerala Police Association and the Kerala Police Officers’ Association stepped in and raised ₹16.73 lakh in a single day.
While the Kochi city and Ernakulam rural committees of the associations mobilised ₹7.46 lakh and ₹8.27 lakh, the Kerala Armed Police 1 Battalion raised another ₹1 lakh.
Out of this, ₹16 lakh was transferred to Sebi’s bank account on Wednesday, and the rest was handed over personally by the office-bearers of the associations at the Coimbatore hospital. The condition of the two girls who are undergoing treatment remains critical.
More police personnel have come forward to contribute, and those funds will also be handed over to Sebi.