26-yr-old city cop loved uniform, always wanted to be an officer

GHAZIABAD: A 26-year-old constable from Ghaziabad was among the eight policemen who were killed during an encounter with Vikas Dubey, a history sheeter facing 60 criminal cases, in Kanpur early on Friday.
The constable, Rahul Kumar, was a native of Modinagar area and had joined Uttar Pradesh police in 2016. Ravi Kumar, his elder brother, said that Rahul always wanted to be a policeman.
“He was in love with the uniform. He always wanted to be a police officer just like our father,” he said, adding that Rahul got married in 2019 and had a 2.5 month-old daughter. The news of his demise brought the family’s dreams crashing down. Rahul, the youngest of three siblings, was very close to his mother.
Om Kumar, Rahul’s father, who was also a sub-inspector with UP police till 2017, said that his wife fell unconscious after seeing the news on TV. “I spoke to him last night. He said he was fine. He even did a video call and our family was so happy. The morning brought us devastating news. We had kept the news from his mother but she switched on the TV and saw everything.”
Ravi told TOI, “As my mother heard Kanpur on the channel, she stopped all work. When she saw Rahul’s picture on TV and heard that shots have been fired, she started wailing. I immediately disconnected the cable wire but by then she fell unconscious. We had to take her to the hospital," he said.
Ravi and his father have now left for Kanpur to get back the body. “We left for Kanpur around 12 noon. We will return with the body after paperwork,” Ravi said. The Ghaziabad police and residents of Modinagar village also mourned his untimely demise. They said that he was a sincere boy from his early childhood and had great dedication.
“He always wanted to be a police officer and serve the nation,” said a relative. Rahul’s colleagues in Kanpur also fondly remember him as a hard worker. “He would diligently do his duty and after finishing work, rush to the corner to make a quick call to his family,” they said.