Surrey RCMP say they've tracked down an elderly Sikh man who waited nearly half an hour in line on April 20 at the Vaisakhi parade in the city for a quick turn at the RCMP's photo booth, just for the "honour" of standing next to two RCMP officers.
“He just wanted the honour of standing alongside two Surrey RCMP members,” read the tweet by a Twitter user Amandeep Takhar.
When the man's turn came, he said he didn't have a camera. Takhar took a photo on his personal phone anyway.
This gentlemen waited nearly 20 minutes in line yesterday & when his turn came, he told me he didn’t have a camera. He just wanted the honour of standing alongside two @SurreyRCMP members. I’m sharing his picture as a reminder that a simple photo opp can mean so much. pic.twitter.com/WHk66T0f0V
— A. Takhar (@amdtakhar) April 21, 2019
“I’m sharing his picture as a reminder that a simple photo-op can mean so much,” Takhar wrote.
The heartwarming photo generated a lot of attention over the social media and even Surrey mounties tweeted for help in identifying the man so they could present him with a printed copy of the image.
We would love to present this gentleman with a copy of this photo from the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade. If anyone knows who he is please contact our Diversity Unit at 604-507-5949 or surrey_diversity@rcmp-grc.gc.ca @OMNIpunjabi @RED931FM @ChannelPunjabi https://t.co/YZJjPjg33A
— Surrey RCMP (@SurreyRCMP) April 29, 2019
On Tuesday afternoon, Surrey RCMP said they'd identified the man, and he'll visit the detachment soon to receive a copy of his photo.
Good news - the gentleman in this photo has been identified! He'll be visiting our detachment soon to proudly receive a copy of his photo with our officers. Thanks to everyone for their assistance. https://t.co/hBrOESAXTw
— Surrey RCMP (@SurreyRCMP) April 30, 2019