11 Women IPS Officers Who Made The Country Proud And Inspired Millions

The history of India has many stories about brave women, those that whenever they got a chance they changed the rules and regulations of society. 

Becoming an IPS officer is not just about sitting on a chair and giving orders to others. It's the most challenging job in India to maintain law and order. Millions of people try their luck to crack the UPSC exam every year and few manage to clear it. 

Today we talk about some of the top IPS officers of India who became inspired millions.

1. Sanjukta Parashar

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Known as Iron Lady of Assam Sanjukta Parashar is the courageous officer who took down 16 militants. Not only this, during the 15 months in Assam, she also caught many terrorists alive and seized tons of arms and ammunition. Sanjukta Parashar first became the Assistant Commandant of Makum in the year 2008. 

Sanjukta Parashar said that at the age of 23, the idea of ​​appearing in the UPSC examination came to her mind. In the year 2006, Sanjukta made her dream come true with hard work. She was entrusted with the responsibility of controlling the ethnic violence between Bodo and illegal Bangladeshi militants that took place in Udalguri. She became one of the most feared police officers among Bodo militants when she headed a team of CRPF soldiers with AK-47 in Sonitpur district which is a terror-infested region.

Sanjukta graduated in Political Science from IP College, Delhi University, and did a master’s in International Relations from JNU also earned an M.Phil in US foreign policy.

2. Merin Joseph

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Born on 20 April 1990 in Kerala, Merin Joseph wanted to become an IPS from childhood. Merin, who was promising in studies, was trained at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad. Merin became the youngest officer in the list of people To lead the Indian Delegates for The Y20 Summit. Merin Joseph got 188th rank in UPSC exam and became IPS in 2012.

In 2019 Kerala DCP Merin Joseph IPS, and her team has solved a two-year-old child rape case and arrested the accused from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was only in June 2019 after Merin took charge as Commissioner of Kollam she stumbled upon the two-year-old case while reviewing pending cases of crime against women. 

3. Subhashini Sankaran

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In July 2016, Subhashini Sankaran became India's first woman IPS officer to be put in charge of chief minister’s security. She took charge of security for Assam's Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at that time. Born in Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district Subashini cracked the UPSC Mains examination with rank 243 in In 2010.

“It was a new thing for everybody but people slowly adapted to being comfortable about having a lady police officer as the chief minister’s head of security,” Subashini told News18.

Subhashini completed her schooling in Thane, Mumbai after her parents moved there in 1980. She later went to do M.Phil. from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.

During her posting in Assam, she busted a rhino-poaching ring that was operating nearby Kaziranga national park. 

4. Aparajita Rai

The Better India

Became the first woman Gorkha IPS officer from Sikkim Aparajita Rai, inspiring everyone. At the age of 8, She lost her father who was a divisional forest officer in Sikkim.

However, she grew up and never gave up on her dreams to bring a change in the system by being a part of it. Aparajita started noticing from a very young age how insensitivity was shown towards the common people in government departments. How people have to make repeated rounds of government offices to solve small problems. All these things solidified the idea in Aparajita's mind that she would be a part of this system and would bring about a change in the way it works.

Despite failing in her first attempt for the UPSC exams. She appeared in 2011 and 2012 and cleared UPSC both times and secured the highest marks ever secured by someone in Sikkim. 

According to NDTV, while speaking of the passion that keeps her driven, Aparajita said, “Anyone who comes to me should not face the same harassment or agony which people generally encounter in government offices.”

The matter does not end here. This Gorkha girl, who became IPS at the age of 28, also holds the record for becoming the first woman IPS officer of Sikkim. Aparajita's goal was not only to become an IPS officer. She always tried to ensure that more youth of Sikkim ensure their own flight like her and become a part of government services.

5. Dr. Meera Chadha Borwankar

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Meera is originally from the Fazilka district in Punjab. His father O. P. Chadha was in the Border Security Force (BSF). In 1981, she became the first woman IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre where she served as Deputy Commissioner of Police in Mumbai. Meera was instrumental in ending gangsterism in the Mumbai underworld. She Doctorate in Organizational Management from the University of Pune, Maharashtra 2009. Although she retired from service in 2017 during her service she solved many cases include Abu Salem’s extradition, the Jalgaon sex scandal, Iqbal Mirchi, and many more. She received the President of India Police Medal for Meritorious Services in 1997 and for Distinguished Services in 2006. The movie Mardaani which was released in 2014 inspired from her. Meera believes that women are more capable in all terms than men and gives advice to women to become independent, fearless and no self-doubting and follow their dreams.

6. Sangeeta Kalia

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The daughter of a retired carpenter in Fatehabad police became the IPS after passing the UPSC exam in the third attempt in 2009. Her first posting was in the same department as SP. IPS Sangeeta Kalia's father Dharampal was working in Fatehabad Police and retired from there in 2010. Sangeeta did her schooling from Bhiwani and took the UPSC exam for the first time in 2005. 

In November 2016, an IPS Sangeeta Kalia posted in Fatehabad, Haryana refused to bow before the mood swings of cabinet minister Anil Vij. During a meeting over liquor smuggling, the minister accused the smuggling is happening because of the police protection, the officer opposed the minister's argument and that’s where the minister got irked.

He shouted and told her to ‘get out’. But instead of buckling down to the minister's order, she refused to vacate and asked the question most politicians hate to answer why.

"We are taking action. We have registered over 2,500 cases. Many of these people come out on bail and indulge in smuggling again," Kalia told the minister.

Later, Kalia was transferred.

7. Dr. Ruveda Salam

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Became the first IPS officer from Kashmir valley Dr. Ruveda Salam also fulfilled her father’s dream who always wanted her to become an IPS officer. Ruveda completed her MBBS from the Government Medical College in Srinagar. Ruveda achieved the IPS cadre after cleared the UPSC exam twice and in the second attempt, She trained in Hyderabad and was posted in Chennai as Assistant Police Commissioner. She also loves interacting with locals and learning more about their culture. Later appearing for the civil services examination again in 2015 to qualify for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

8. Soumya Sambasivan

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Shimla's first female IPS officer Soumya Sambasivan is known for her strict disciple who solved six murder cases including two blind murder mysteries when she posted in Sirmaur district for two years. Soumya achieved many such successes, in which not only Sirmaur Police but Himachal Police also made a lot of headlines. She graduated in Bio subject and after that, she did M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance. In addition, she has also worked in a multinational bank. To prevent incidents of molestation of school and college girls, Soumya also trains them to make special sprays. This liquid, prepared with the help of chili, refined and nail paint, After spraying it once, goons continue to bear the brunt of it for half an hour and they cannot even open their eyes till the effect lasts.

9. Sonia Narang

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Sonia Narang born in Chandigarh is the daughter of retired Deputy Superintendent of Police is a 2002 batch IPS officer. She is also the Gold medalist in Sociology from Punjab University. During her service, Sonia Narang was posted in many big cities of Karnataka. It is the result of her honesty and perseverance that wherever she went, the criminals were forced to run away. Sonia Narang came into the limelight when she slapped a Bharatiya Janata Party leader in 2006 during the protest between Congress and BJP party. Then IPS officer Sonia Narang publicly slapped BJP leader Renukacharyaa and also sent him behind the bars.

10. Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya

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Born in Shimla in 1947 Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya was the second IPS officer of India and also the first woman to become Director General of Police and a first IPS officer in Uttar Pradesh. She also represented India in Cancun, Mexico during the Interpol meeting in 2004. She was also the chairperson of the All Indian Women in Police, Police of Uttarakhand who received many medals in her journey including President’s medals in 1997 for distinguished services and meritorious services in 1989, Rajiv Gandhi award in 2004 for great work, All-rounder performance and an excellent women achiever. She retired from service in 2007 and died at the age of 72 after a prolonged illness in the year 2019.

Kanchan handled many difficult cases during her service including the murder of seven-time national badminton champion Syed Modi in 1987 and the Reliance-Bombay Dyeing case in 1989. she tracked down 13 dacoits in a single year when she was an ACP in Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh

11. Vimal Mehra

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A 1978 batch IPS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories (AGMUT), had served the Delhi Police in various capacities. Vimal Mehra also served as a DG Tihar in 2012. As DG in Tihar jail she made many changes and introduced many vocational programs to train inmates in employment-oriented skills in which the most significant is foreign languages courses for the women inmates and undertrials. She launched women helpline no. 1091 as the head of the Crime against Women Cell and defense training programs for women is one of her achievements. She became the first woman who created history by getting the important position of Special Commissioner Police for the first time in the history of the Delhi Police.