As violence escalated, Gauri Parashar Joshi went to her office and issued an order to hand over the situation to the Army, which helped avoid further deterioration of the situation. 

By

Viney Sharma

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PANCHKULA: The otherwise macho image of Haryana police took a severe beating during the Panchkula violence, as the local custodians of town were the first to show their back, post the conviction of Sirsa Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Friday.

Emboldening the Dera followers to have a free show, leaving the sole lady bureaucrat present amidst the arson– 2009 batch IAS officer – Panchkula Deputy Commissioner — Gauri Parasher Joshi, to fend for herself. Police guards fled the spot as unruly mob of Dera followers advanced with sticks and stones towards, as she was trying to calm down the agitators.As violence escalated, this mother of an 11-month-old suffered injuries and even her clothes got torn. Left alone with a single PSO, she went to her office and issued an order to hand over the situation to the Army, which helped avoid further deterioration of the situation.

“Had the Army not come in, the residential area would have scene unprecedented devastation. We have been serving the local police with tea and biscuits for last few days, but the moment the Dera followers went on rampage the local police was the first to run,” says Satinder Nangia – local from Panchkula.
Ms Gauri Parasher Joshi reached home at 3 am but not before going around every nook and corner of the city and seeing for herself that the situation had been brought under control after dispersing the rioters.

She had served in the Naxal-affected district of Kalahandi in Odisha and may be that helped the 2009-batch IAS officer from Odisha cadre, who is on deputation to Haryana.

“Its time the patriarchal state, with abysmally low sex ratio looks up to such woman and take a lesson or two,” says a shaken Betty Nangia- who saw two followers being shot down by Army just few meters away from her place, as they tried to enter homes.