The last few days in the Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab belt were critical in the wake of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim's verdict and arrest. As thousands of his followers took to the roads, protesting his arrest, there was no way they could be stopped. They left a trail of destruction wherever they went, burning public properties and injuring people.
As the police showed their back in the face of the rampage, a 2009 batch IAS officer and Panchkula Deputy Commissioner- Gauri Parasher Joshi-stood her ground. Although all the other police officers fled, she faced the unruly mob along with a single PSO. She attempted to calm down the agitators till the end. However, she was overpowered by their bats, bricks and the sticks.
Mother of an 11-month-old baby, the bureaucrat was severely injured, but she went to her office and issued an order to hand over the situation to the army. Had that not been done, the situation would have been out of control. According to reports, Joshi reached home at 3 am after patrolling the city for any further unrest. Refusing to be a burden on the already stretched medical facilities in the city, she denied medication too.