After three relentless days of stormy weather, waterlogging and civic chaos, Mumbai Police and Traffic Police personnel kept going — even as their own health took a severe hit. Diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, the flu — nothing stopped constables and officers from showing up. For them, it was always “duty first, everything else secondary.”

Since August 16, Mumbai and neighbouring cities have been battered by heavy downpours. Roads flooded, transport collapsed, and citizens were left stranded. The worst was on August 18, when schoolchildren were sent home on half-days, office-goers were stuck on roads and in vehicles, and chaos reigned. Amid it all, the sight of uniformed officers in yellow raincoats became a lifeline.

Matunga police carry schoolchildren to safety through waist-high water