Morung Express Feature
Dimapur | May 25
Imagine staring down the barrel of a gun pointed at you, disposed to shoot. By the way, what are the chances of a loaded gun getting jammed? And how often do we come across people who have experienced and survived such a nightmare? Such encounters, people think, are only stuff of movies.
But it was what actually happened to a regular traffic policeman on the fateful day of May 19. This date will surely be marked rare in the history of the Dimapur Police when an unarmed traffic constable, Sakumeren Jamir, single-handedly brought down a gunman, risking his life in the line of duty.
Recollecting his near-death experience, at his residence at Bank Colony, the brave police constable candidly admitted that the incident still haunts him. Sakumeren was born in the year 1974 and joined the police force at a young age of 18 in the year 1992. After serving in Mokokchung during the early part of his career he got posted as a traffic policeman in Dimapur in 2000. Prior to his joining the police, he was an avid practitioner of the martial art, Taekwondo, he said. In fact he worked for a short stint as a Taekwondo instructor in Changtongya town, Mokokchung. This, he said, helped him in landing a job in the police. He is a proud father of five children, all school-going except for the youngest, who is only three years old. He is also a loving husband to his wife of fourteen years.
Narrating in detail the turn of events of that fateful day, the constable said he was going about his normal duties at the busy Deluxe Point when he heard a commotion near Eros Lane. A while later, he saw a group of people and some policemen chasing a gunman. As a duty-bound cop, he also joined in the chase. The constable said the gunmen might have escaped had he run towards Hong Kong Market, but unfortunately for him, he took the road leading to Murgi Patti at MP Road. As the gunman made the turn towards Murgi Patti, Jamir along with the other policemen gave chase and had nearly caught up with the miscreant. According to Sakumeren, the gunman sensed he had no other escape route and so stopped and turned towards them.
Then someone warned that the miscreant had a pistol. At the warning, everyone took cover while the other policemen positioned themselves. Unfortunately for the constable he was not able to do so as he was barely a distance of about five to six feet from the gunman with no cover in sight. The miscreant then turned and took a shot at him, but miraculously the pistol misfired. Being a trained policeman, Sakumeren realised that the bullet was probably jammed in the chamber of the pistol and instinctively he dived for the miscreant’s knees, knocking the gunman down. His Taekwondo skills did pay dividends. Later, it turned out that the gunman had already fired a shot at Eros Lane and had not dislodged the empty shell. According to Sakumeren, the hammer of the pistol might have hit the empty shell still lodged in the chamber instead of the live round.
In glory, the constable was very modest while narrating his rare and heroic feat saying that he only did what a duty-bound “public servant” should have done in a similar situation. He, however, disclosed that he had received a cash reward of Rs.500 from the office of the SP, Dimapur, in recognition of “his courage and excellent action”. Going back on his death-defying feat, the brave constable said it was solely a “spur of the moment act”. His mind just went blank, the policeman said.
Such rare display of selfless action deserves commendation and recognition not just from his superiors but from the society at large. By publicly acknowledging the actions of men and women in public service, it would further encourage government servants to strive in their call to duty.
