The Police Kalyana Mandapam was brimming with men and women of all ages when Superintendent of Police, Guntur Urban, D.S Chauhan walked in on Monday evening.
It was one of those rare occasions when an S.P uses a public platform to reach out and send a message to people to maintain peace and harmony. Most often, it is through a press conference or a meeting of police officers.
Mr. Chauhan spoke his heart out for the next 30 minutes, making an emotional appeal to people of all religions to maintain peace and harmony. There were intermittent bursts of applause whenever the S.P moved seamlessly between Quran and Gita quoting passages.
Mr Chauhan regaled the audience when he rendered passages from Quran in chaste Urdu. An alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University, where he did B.Tech, Mr Chauhan was at his persuasive best.
The most striking image of the day, however, was a saffron clad guru seated beside a Maulana, both of them smiling and exchanging pleasantries as the cameras clicked furiously.
``There is `Ram' in Ramzan and `Ali' in Diwali. Does it indicate that the religions have many things in common,'' the S.P questioned. The audience applauded.
He then went on to say that for the next month civilians needed to be policemen in plainclothes and reminded them that one of the seven fundamental duties enshrined in the Constitution was to maintain communal harmony. There would be challenges threatening the rich secular tradition in the coming days, he warned.
``Be on constant alert, there might be elements trying to influence your thoughts through SMS campaign. Take care that youngsters are not lured,'' the SP urged people.
When the meeting ended, there was mutual bonhomie as people wished each other.
