Unsung knights in khaki get their caps of fame

BANGALORE: No one knows PM Ashraf. Or MN Subramanya. Or other knights in khaki like them.
The police department's backroom boys were on Wednesday honoured by Round Table India: some for their chilling encounters, others for routine, but crucial duties.
Like constable Ashraf, who sat quietly in a corner of a crowded hall of a prominent hotel, unnoticed by the gathering.Ashraf is part of the technical cell of the Central Crime Branch which tracked and nabbed serial rapist-killer Jaishankar, after his escape from Bangalore central jail. While the entire city joined the cops in sharing the relief of Jaishankar's arrest - which was a facesaver for Bangalore police -- the men who arrested him were lost in the crowd. The team went beyond its call of duty, and nabbed Jaishankar.
Ashraf was among 21 policemen who were honoured at the 'Knights in Khaki' function organized by Round Table India. The officers and men were rewarded for work in crime detection, traffic management and other areas of policing.
After receiving his award for 'Good performance in technical analysis', Ashraf was content. "Our job is to provide technical support for investigations. When we're asked, we step in and silently leave once the job is done, to the next assignment awaiting us. So we're overwhelmed that our work is appreciated," he said.
The job that MN Subramanya handles might seem boring to many. This constable with the Crime Records Bureau handles writ petitions and high court matters. However, his work has won many crucial cases for the department. "It's rewarding when someone appreciates your work," he expressed his joy, but briefly.
Pointing out that his men are often criticized for anything that goes wrong in the city, Bangalore police commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar said that hindsight postmortems are easy, but people should understand that the burden on the police department has increased tremendously. "If the community doesn't recognize the efforts of the man on the ground, the morale of the police department will drop," he said.