The activities of the Jaflong Tourist Police fascinate me every day. What a wonderful way to use them, what a wonderful address. Addressing father, mother, brother, sister, everyone is adopted and imposed various instructions in a fluent manner. That instruction is to avoid all kinds of dangerous situations, that instruction is to stay well. As everyone knows, Jaflong is a magical tourist area of rocks, mountains, and springs at the extreme zero point of the India-Bangladesh border. Unknown, careless tourists often cross the Zero Point and enter India. If the BSF is on patrol at that time, it is not uncommon for untoward incidents to occur. To avoid such an embarrassing incident, the Jaflong Tourist Police should continue to work tirelessly. Sometimes standing on high rocks, sometimes waist-deep in the stream of pines, the tourist policemen spread out their hands to plead. He kept saying, please parents don’t come upstream, you are already breaking zero point, please back off, please back off.
Sometimes the announcement of the police voice floats into the hand mic. The torrential downpour has started in Jaflong. This current is dangerous, the water is very murky. Tourists should not risk crossing the stream now. Please take a boat and go to Khasia Palli Ghat, visit the magical fountain there, you will like it. The announcements of the police, given with great compassion in a sweet voice, are like a plea for the love of one’s loved ones. There is no sane way to ignore their requests.
I don’t know which officer is in charge of Jafflong sub zone of tourist police, I don’t know the name of the supervising officer there. I don’t even feel the need to know. Just realized, the men dressed as tourist police are my children’s guardians, my helpless sister’s tough safety net brother, my elderly relative’s responsible child. The more I watched the video footage of the reporter traveling on my assignment, the more I fell in love with the Jaflong Tourist Police. Now I just want to see Jaflong tourist police up close.
I didn’t feel that the tourist police had any restrictions after looking at every scene. On the contrary, their responsibility seems to show hundreds of tourists at each spot as if they are turning them around hand in hand.
Sometimes one of the tourist police officials announces the requests and instructions with a hand microphone and uploads them in the form of video on the Jaflong Tourist Police Facebook page. I notice that whatever the directions are given, the video shows all the enticing scenes that would make anyone want to go to Jaflong. They are not only maintaining police law and order, but also contributing to the state activities of attracting tourists.
Another scene I can never forget. A mother is busy taking pictures with her relatives at the magical fountain, busy with excitement, while her baby boy spends time in the arms of a tourist policeman. My reporter asked the policeman, is he not bored with the duty of holding another’s child for a long time? His smiling reply was – ‘The question does not arise. It is my responsibility to stand here and take care of everyone. I was alone, with the baby in my lap, I can spend time with him laughing and talking.’ Jaflong tourist policemen who have developed such a mentality are reminiscent of the “humanitarian police during the quarantine”. Another elderly tourist visiting Jaflong said, ‘I find it strange that the tourist police, without weapons or batons, protect order with only love and compassion.’

Editorial – Saidur Rahman Rimon