Pant Nagar police constable to run at Malaysian athletics meet

As more and more police personnel fall prey to work-related illnesses, the head constable of the Pant Nagar police station has decided to take the health-conscious road to national pride.

Anil Natu Salian, 51, is all set to participate in the Asian Master Athletic Championship to be held in Malaysia in December. He will be part of the 225-member Indian delegation for the event that will see participation from over 26 Asian countries.

“In spite of my tight schedule as a policeman, I manage to make time to practise every day to remain fit,” he says.

In July this year, he represented India in the 800 metres athletic race and stood fourth. In another competition in 2007, he won the silver medal in the high jump event in Malaysia.

He owes his induction into the police force to former commissioner Julio Ribeiro, who in 1985 noticed his talent at a hockey match in which Salian represented a corporate group against the Mumbai Police. “Julio sir asked me to apply for a police post,” he says. “I was selected in the sports department of the police force.”

He has the following piece of advice for his colleagues: “Regularly do some kind of exercise and eat healthy food. It is only when you are healthy that you can lead a successful life.”