Guwahati: While relief efforts following floods in several parts of Upper Assam have largely focused on food, household essentials and rebuilding damaged homes, former Guwahati Police Commissioner Jyotirmoy Chakravarty, a retired 1986 batch IPS officer of Assam cadre, has taken a different approach by reaching out to flood-affected schoolchildren.
Mr Chakravarty visited seven government schools in the worst-affected areas of Nazira in Sivasagar district and distributed notebooks, pens, pencils, school bags and other educational supplies to around 1,100 to 1,200 students.
The retired police officer said the initiative was undertaken entirely at his personal level, with a focus on helping children who may have lost their educational materials in the floods.
Educational Support for Flood-Affected Children
Mr Chakravarty said his effort was aimed at providing items that are not generally included in the educational kits supplied by the government.
“It was purely my individual effort, focused on seven schools in Nazira where I felt I could help. It may not be enough, but if 10 to 20 people come forward similarly, it will make a big difference,” he said.
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Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, he pointed out that government schools already receive textbooks and uniforms through government programmes. Replacing textbooks that have been damaged or washed away in floods through market purchases can therefore be difficult.
“My focus was to help them get educational kits not usually provided by the government. When many families are struggling for food, buying educational kits may not be possible for them,” he said.
The supplies distributed to the students included notebooks, writing instruments and school bags, among other essential educational materials.
‘Study With Complete Dedication’
Ex-IPS Chakravarty also asked the students to make two commitments in return for the support.
He urged them to study with complete dedication and become more conscious and proactive about the safety and conservation of nature and the environment.
The retired IPS officer subsequently reflected on the larger environmental concerns behind recurring natural disasters. In a social media post on Wednesday, he warned about the consequences of unchecked exploitation of natural resources and said that merely contributing financially as a donor would have little meaning if the underlying environmental problems remained unaddressed.
His message focused on the need for the younger generation to understand environmental protection and take greater responsibility for conserving nature.
Teacher Praises Initiative
The initiative was welcomed by teachers at the affected schools.
Dhiren Bhuyan, a teacher at Tribeni High School, one of the seven schools visited by Chakravarty, said relief materials had reached the flood-hit areas but many students were still in need of basic educational supplies.
“While ration and other essentials arrived in trucks, many students needed educational items that had been washed away. His donations set an example and brought joy to many,” Bhuyan said.
The initiative also highlighted a less visible impact of floods on the education sector. While food and shelter remain immediate priorities during a disaster, children often lose school bags, notebooks, stationery and other materials required to return to classrooms.
Floods Damage School Infrastructure
Apart from educational materials, floodwaters have also damaged computers, laboratories and other school infrastructure in affected areas.
Chakravarty said such losses could take considerable time to recover from and suggested an immediate solution to ensure that students do not lose access to practical education.
He proposed that intact laboratories in nearby government and private institutions could be opened to students from flood-affected schools until their own laboratories and facilities are restored.
According to him, such an arrangement could help students continue their practical learning while damaged infrastructure is gradually rebuilt.
Why He Chose Government Schools
Chakravarty said he deliberately chose government schools for the initiative because they largely cater to financially disadvantaged students, particularly those living in rural areas.
For families already struggling to recover from flood-related losses, purchasing school supplies may not be an immediate priority. The distribution of educational kits, therefore, was intended to address a specific gap in the relief response.
His intervention also underlined the importance of ensuring that children affected by disasters are able to return to education without additional financial pressure on their families.
Who Is Jyotirmoy Chakravarty?
Mr Chakravarty, also spelled Jyotirmay Chakravarty, is a retired 1986-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Assam cadre. He is best known for serving as the first Commissioner of Police of Guwahati after the city introduced the police commissionerate system.
Born on March 1, 1962, Chakravarty joined the IPS on December 15, 1986, after being recruited through the UPSC Civil Services Examination. During his career, he held several important policing and administrative assignments in Assam as well as on central deputation.
He also received the Police Antrik Suraksha Seva Padak in 2002 for his service.
First Police Commissioner of Guwahati
One of the most significant milestones in Chakravarty’s career came in January 2015, when Guwahati moved from the traditional SSP-based policing system to a Police Commissionerate system.
Chakravarty was appointed the first Police Commissioner of Guwahati and played a key role in establishing the new policing structure. He served in the position from January 1 to June 16, 2015.
Before becoming Commissioner, he had served as Additional Director General of Police (Training and Armed Police) in Assam.
During his career, he also served on central deputation, including as Additional Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
Promoted to DG Rank and Voluntary Retirement
Chakravarty was promoted to the Director General-level rank in 2019.
Despite reaching the senior-most levels of the police service, he opted for voluntary retirement from the IPS on October 31, 2020, bringing his 34-year policing career to an end.
His latest intervention in flood-hit Sivasagar reflects his continued engagement with public welfare, this time focusing on children whose education has been disrupted by the floods.
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