Nowadays women are leading from the front in all spheres. When they hold the reins of leadership, their capabilities and abilities are undeniable. One such women leader is Dr Darpan Ahluwalia, IPS (P) from Punjab Cadre of 73RR. She became the sixth women IPS officer to lead the Passing Out Parade or Dikshant Parade at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA).
She is the overall topper of the basic course phase-1 training that includes both indoor and outdoor courses. She also won the Martyr KS Vyas Trophy for Internal Security and Public Order and Field Craft and Tactics during the medal ceremony at SVPNPA.
RUNS AN NGO
Dr Darpan Ahluwalia hails from Mohali, Punjab. She completed her MBBS in 2017 from Government Medical College, Patiala. Even before completing her MBBS degree, she had started an NGO to spread awareness about breast cancer among women. Later, with the help of NGO Pink Link campaign, she organised breast cancer screening camps for more women.
FOLLOWING GRANDFATHER’S FOOTSTEPS
According to Dr Ahluwalia, IPS has always been her first choice. The 27-year-old cleared UPSC in the year 2019, bagging AIR 80 in her second attempt. She says that she was inspired by her grandfather, who himself served in the Punjab Police and retired as district attorney and chief law instructor.
“It was through him that I got my first exposure to the police. Though he retired a long time ago, I heard a lot from him about how the police can impact society and so I decided to become a police officer,” said Dr Ahluwalia.
Before clearing UPSC, Dr Ahluwalia spent a short period of time at a government tertiary health care centre which helped her to focus more clearly on her goals in life.
“Moving from working as a doctor to becoming an IPS officer is not a change of path or career, but I would say it’s an extension of what I have been doing in the past. With this new role, I will be more approachable to people, particularly women, as people look to the police as the first resort in any crisis or emergency,” she said to the media.
INSPIRED BY TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS
Dr Ahluwalia shared with media organisations that during her training period she interacted with trafficking survivors which inspired her lot. She said, “Listening to their stories of fighting and coming out of it helped me to understand the importance of the police service.”
