Throwing his weight behind a police inspector who faced the wrath of the Kancheepuram collector, Director General of Police, J K Tripathy has said it is not the "critic who counts," but the man on field who gave his "sweat and blood," for the people.
The head of police force lauded the police personnel for what he called doing a "scintillating job in the peaceful conduct and facilitation for devotees at the Kancheepuram, Lord Athi Varadar festival," which attracts lakhs of devotees daily and set to culminate on August 16.
Recently, a video clip of collector P Ponniah purportedly threatening a police inspector went viral over alleged lapses in crowd management at the Lord Athi Varadar festival in the Kancheepuram based Sri Devarajaswamy temple.
The public bashing endured by the inspector incensed all ranks of police force and some of them took to social media to express their angst and the IPS Officers Association had on August 13 backed him saying all sections of society should respect policemen.
Against this backdrop, the top police official, without naming either the collector or the infamous episode quoted American statesman Theodore Roosevelt's (1858-1919) address titled "Citizenship in a republic," in his open message to personnel on duty at the Kancheepuram based temple.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles...the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena...
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming...
...if he fails at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Tripathy, pointing to the "borrowed words," said the resolve of this great force is out to provide best possible services to the visitors to the temple.
"Every policeman, woman in the arena has made a tryst with history in this moment of glory. The media and social media bear ample witness to the aforesaid assertions, as is the prevalent public opinion," he said.
Noting that it was important to sustain the hard work and motivation until the completion of the "bandobust duty on August 17," he told police personnel that even a minor lapse will taint all the hard-earned glory.
In the video footage, the district collector, overseeing arrangements at the temple for darshan of Lord Athivaradar, purportedly threatened the police inspector that he will be suspended for alleged lapses in crowd management.
The Athivaradar idol is taken out from under the water in the tank of Sri Devarajaswamy temple at Kancheepuram once in 40 years.
The shrine has been attracting lakhs of devotees everyday leading to heavy rush and congestion in the town giving a tough time to police personnel. Since July 1, one crore devotees have had darshan of the Lord so far.
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