New Delhi: For 27 years, Girvar Singh Tomar fought to get back the uniform he had lost over a dispute involving a bicycle. During those long years, his life took a completely different turn he became a sadhu and came to be known as Baba Girvar Das.
Now, at 54, Tomar is wearing the CRPF uniform again.
Tomar, a resident of Chhichhawali village in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district, has rejoined the 85th Battalion of the CRPF in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, following a court order in his favour. Before returning to duty, he cut his long hair and beard and gave up the saffron robes he had worn for years.
Tomar joined the CRPF in 1991 and was posted in Assam. His career came to an abrupt end after an incident involving a civilian’s bicycle. Tomar maintained that he had been wrongly accused and challenged his dismissal in court.
He was dismissed from service in 1999, after spending about eight years in the force. What followed was a legal battle that would stretch across nearly three decades.
While the case continued, Tomar’s life moved in another direction. He became close to saints and eventually joined the Nirmohi Akhara. He took the name Baba Girvar Das and spent years living as a sadhu, serving at religious places including Bara Dwari and Gufa Mandir in Prayagraj and later in Chitrakoot.
But he never gave up on getting his job back.
A High Court ruling in 2007 went in his favour, but the matter was stayed after the CRPF challenged the decision. The case remained unresolved for years.
Then came the breakthrough. In 2025, the High Court ruled in Tomar’s favour and ordered his reinstatement, paving the way for him to return to the force.
His return, however, comes with a strange twist. Men who joined the force around the same time have moved up several ranks, while Tomar is back as a constable. He is expected to retire in 2030 and will have to complete the required course before becoming eligible for promotion to havildar.
For Tomar, though, the rank appears to matter less than getting back what he had spent decades fighting for.
After losing his uniform, becoming a sadhu and spending years in court, Girvar Singh Tomar has finally returned to where his journey began wearing the CRPF uniform once again.
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