Every day, Mankhurd resident Rehmat Bee Khalilwi leaves home at 5 am to reach Churchgate's Oval Maidan by 6.30 am. With no access to local trains under state guidelines that allow only essential workers to use the service under lockdown, Khalilwi's husband Mohammed drops her on his bike. Some days, she takes a bus. Despite the challenging commute, the 28-year-old has not missed a single day of training.

Khalilwi is among 200 Muslim candidates being trained by Grant Road madrassa Jamia Ashrafia Qadria to get into the police constabulary. The religious institution has joined hands with a private coaching institute to launch a pilot, three-month training programme for aspirants preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), an exam that selects officers for civil service jobs.