CP helps police constable pursue his dream

Kolkata: The Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, Vineet Kumar Goyal came forward to help a Kolkata Police constable, Basanta Hembram who is preparing for cycling competitions to pay off the remaining loan taken by Hembram for buying an international standard cycle.

Goyal after hearing the news of Hembram struggling to pay off the Rs 8 lakh loan instructed that the remaining of it will be paid off by Kolkata Police.

Moreover, CP Goyal met with the cyclist and constable Hembram and encouraged him to keep on with his fight to achieve his dreams.

Spurred on by this encouragement, Hembram has now doubled his efforts to win a medal at the national level. In 2009, Hembram joined KP as a homeguard and was assigned to the Metro Railway Police unit.

A keen sportsman, Hembram was particularly drawn to competitive cycling and even though he could never afford a proper racing bike, he never stopped chasing his dream and instead made use of whatever equipment was available to him.

He took part in the Bengal Cycling Championship in 2014 and won gold in his first attempt.

Alongside regular duties and training, he used to regularly participate in competitions. During this period. He was also working on his qualifications to become a Constable in Kolkata Police, which he managed to do in 2015. He was then invited to represent Bengal at the national-level cycling championship held in Haryana in 2018 but missed out on a medal by a whisker.

Realising that a high-quality racing cycle would have made a medal a certainty, he decided to invest in an international-standard cycle and began sourcing the necessary funds.

Finally, with two loans sanctioned by two banks to the tune of Rs 8 lakh, Basanta ordered his dream bike from an American manufacturer. However, Covid struck the world and the 2020 lockdown was imposed. Having jumped through several hoops to get his cycle delivered, Basanta continued to struggle with his huge loan, though he never allowed it to dampen his iron will. When this news reached the CP, he immediately instructed for the remaining loan to be paid off by the Kolkata Police.