How Sakinaka police station built culture of trust to birth a fan club

Against a backdrop of a cluster of buildings in notsogood shape in the police residential quarters the Sakinaka police station stands tall in the heart of Chandivli But it is not just for the yearold murals of Bollywood villains by Chal Rang De artists that smarten up its walls It is because of the hospitable officers it housesIts not unusual here for a constable to juggle work with carrying a tray of chai and water to comfort complainants most of whom belong to the neighbourhoods slumsAmong them is 55yearold Juhi Pradhan who in January was evicted from her home by her eldest son Manoj My husband Kishore was beaten up by himBarkat Ali Shah with his daughter Shireen Fateema a year after the kidnapping incident PicDatta KumbharWe had no place to go We had bought a home each for our two sons but the elder one wanted to also usurp the flat where my husband and I live Pradhan visited the police station to lodge a complaint with police subinspector PSI Prashant Hule Hule called Manoj and warned him of action amounting to jail if he didnt handover the property back to his parents Pradhan says Manoj hasnt troubled the couple since She is here today to let Hule know that everything is fineYet if Pradhan is walking into the police station of her own volition its the result of a wellplanned strategy by the Sakinaka police of making the station a hospitable refuge for the troubled This success has come after three years of workACP Avinash Dharmadhikari handles Dongri and JJ jurisdictions File PicIn 2015 these very cops had become social pariahs after a model accused two officers Assistant Police Inspector API Sunil Khatpe and API Suresh Suryavanshi along with three others of raping her at an Oshiwara hotel The case still being heard at the sessions court created a crisis of faith among the localsSameer Shaikh 32 a purchase manager who lives in Jarimari says We could not trust them the local police Some people were so angry that they wanted to torch the police station In the troubled period that lasted three months officers were reluctant to step out in their uniforms fearing an angry mobChange of seasonI was transferred to the station in June 2016 right after the incident and noticed that the people didnt trust us anymore They didnt want to report crimes to us and approached politicians for help The officers too were low on confidence There was an urgent need to communicate our good intentions to the locals says ACP Avinash Dharmadhikari who in June 2018 was posted in DongriThe 53yearold is credited with turning the tide in favour of the local police in a span of two years when he was posted there as Senior PI He says his first move was to start hosting cultural and social programmes on the grounds of the police station The area has over 60 mosques 51 temples six churches a few Jain temples and gurudwaras people from all religions stay within the jurisdictionWe hosted iftaar parties celebrated Diwali Holi and Ganesh Chaturthi Our cultural programmes were used as awareness drives aimed at countering common crimes and improving the connection with the locals Sakinaka says Dharmadhikari has the jurisdiction of nine wards The population of nearly seven lakh people includes residents from across social strata But its the areas large floating population thats largely responsible for creating problems The need for trust came he says because locals preferred approaching local MLAs to get cases registered instead of heading directly to the cops But during my term their political interference became almost nil he addsDhamadhikari would often pitch in to help even when it wasnt a matter of law and order Right To Information RTI activist and Sakinaka resident Anil Galgali says that in 2017 Madhavi Gonbare wanted to enter a ChessBoxing Amateur World Championship in Kolkata but fell short of R30000 for the participation fee Hearing of her plight through a friend Dharmadhikari activated his network and helped raise the required money Since then Gonbare whose father died in a road accident when she was in Class X and whose mother works as a school peon has won over a dozen nationallevel medalsWith speed and commitmentSocial outreach helped bring in the goodwill but what helped seal the deal was the efficiency with which the cops worked on cases Among the more grateful ones is Barkat Ali Shah 34 who runs Sheefa Sweets bakery on Tilak Nagar Road On February 22 2018 his daughter Shireen Fateema was kidnapped while playing outside his shop When he noticed her gone he checked the CCTV footage which revealed the face of the man who had kidnapped herI immediately alerted Dharmadhikari sir and he launched a hunt The kidnapper Shashikant Parab had realised that the locals in Kurla had received the message about the missing child Scared he abandoned her in an auto A passerby who found her immediately alerted Kurla police who then informed Dharmadhikari She disappeared at 530 pm and the cops managed to find her unhurt around 1030 pm I cant thank them enoughThe work of the Sakinaka police has in fact inspired Galgali and advertising professional Zubair Khan to create a 13minute video that sees residents thanking the police on various cases solved in the last one yearThis film was shown to the police at an event held at Eden School and College grounds on March 2 organised by Panchsheel Mahila Mandal and Dashrat Madukunta PratishthanKhan who shot the film on his mobile phone says The film was received well by the nearly 700 residents who attended the event and helped raise awareness about the need to report crimeGalgali even wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about it The CM in a letter replied It is important that the public and the police work together to maintain harmony in the society I congratulate both the police and the organisation for their effortsThis is not the first time that the Sakinaka cops have made it to YouTube In May 2018 Galgali and Khan made a 45minute documentary on Dharmadhikaris vision and work During his tenure Dharmadhikari claims the station solved 90 per cent of serious offences including dacoity murder attempt to murder rape molestation and theft Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP Milind Khetle attached to Sakinaka police station since 2018 says There was a time when cases not heard by our team would directly go to the DCP He would call four to five times a day to know the progress But after a point the calls stopped since all cases were handled at our levelWhen Dharmadhikari was transferred to Dongri and JJ jurisdictions after his threeyear term in Sakinaka residents held farewell functions that were spread over a month It was during these felicitations that the documentary was releasedSuccess takes workSakinaka hasnt lost its mojo after his departure Senior PI Kishore Sawant who now holds the fort juggles phone calls while discussing a murder case To us he says I have encouraged everyone to talk to me directly to report an offence I have even asked all duty officers to have conversations with the residents Pointing at an LED screen installed inside his room Sawant adds We have cameras on the premisesIf I see a visitor especially a woman waiting for over 10 minutes I ensure someone attends to her My team too makes it a point to ask people inside the police station if they are okay Its not just talk Sawant says if the FIRs are going to take a while and the complainant hasnt eaten we always order food for them This is not to prove that we are doing our job differently Its just that the Sakinaka police had to face challenges to win back the publics trustThe locals attest to the dedication of the team In the case of a 10yearold who was murdered by a teenager last December the cops says the deceaseds uncle Akbar Khan launched a hunt when the child was reported missing None of the officers had a normal meal for two days till we tracked down the accused We lost our boy but we cant forget the efforts the cops put in Sawant says the number of case registrations have increased We encourage people to file a case no matter how small the crime Earlier only NCs were filed Now we advise that FIRs are filed and criminals are taken to court he addsHow Dharmadhikari Turned The Tide Hosted festival celebrations inside police grounds to build communal harmony connect with the locals Focussed on little goodwill gestures helping locals raise funds for athlete Madhavi Gonbare got cake for complainant when they realised it was his birthday Quick response to crimes solved one kidnapping case in five hoursAlso ReadMumbai Septuagenarian left homeless finds shelter with Sakinaka cops helpCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates