After 27 Years as a Sadhu, Dismissed CRPF Constable Gets His Uniform Back
A CRPF constable dismissed in the 1990s over a bicycle incident returns to duty after a 27-year legal battle, having spent decades as a sadhu.
For nearly three decades, Girvar Singh Tomar lived as Baba Girvar Das, his hair uncut and his body draped in mustard robes. Last week, the 54-year-old walked into a barber's shop, shed the locks and beard of an ascetic, and put on a crisp CRPF uniform once more.
Tomar's journey back to the force began with a seemingly minor incident in Assam in the 1990s. He had joined the Central Reserve Police Force in 1991 and was serving in the northeastern state when, he says, his vehicle brushed against a civilian's bicycle near a market, causing the man to fall. The civilian alleged damage to his bicycle, leading to disciplinary action and, ultimately, Tomar's dismissal from service.
Refusing to accept the decision, Tomar approached the High Court in 1999. The legal battle would stretch on for 27 years, outlasting much of his personal life. His daughters were married, his son joined the armed forces as an Agniveer, and Tomar himself underwent a profound transformation.
Jobless and uncertain, he turned to spirituality. By 2001, he had become associated with the Nirmohi Akhara, gradually becoming Baba Girvar Das. He spent the next two decades serving at religious sites in Prayagraj and Chitrakoot. He says a guru advised him to serve saints, assuring him his path would clear. "With that faith, I served there for 26 years," he said.
While he prayed, he never stopped litigating. A ruling in his favour in 2007 was stayed by the CRPF. Finally, in 2025, the High Court held his dismissal was illegal and ordered his reinstatement. The CRPF complied days ago.
Tomar will now serve until his retirement in 2030. He returns as a constable, while many of his former colleagues have risen to higher ranks. His physical condition, after years of ascetic life, is not what it once was, and officers have reportedly asked colleagues to allow "Baba" some rest.
Despite the lost years and the modest rank, Tomar's return has brought joy to two worlds. "The people who know me are even happier than I am," he said, referring to the saints who shared his long wait for justice.