A fearless leader and a hardworking officer, these are the two terms that can be used to describe IPS officer B Sandhya aptly. Currently holding the post of Additional Director General of Kerala Police, she is amongst the most efficient police officers of Kerala. In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Sandhya opens up about her life, her journey, and the various awards that she has received to date.
Early Days
Ms. Sandhya was born in 1963 in Palai area of Kottayam District. She received her training in human resource management from the Wollongong University of Australia in 1998. She also did her PGDBA from Pondicherry University in the year 1999. Her other educational qualification is Ph.D. from Birla Institute of Technology and Science. Since her younger days, she has loved reading and nature, as also reading people.
“From my childhood,’’ said Ms. Sandhya, “I was keen to observe nature and explore the myriad wonders of it. From a very young age, my parents introduced the world of reading to me and books became my good friends. Later in my school days and college years, I learned to do my studies and extracurricular activities upholding the basic values I have acquired in my childhood”.
Ms Sandhya cleared the UPSC in 1988. She has been posted in various districts of Kerala, including Thrissur, Kollam, Kannur, and Thiruvananthapuram. She also worked as Assistant Superintendent of Police at Shornur and Joint Superintendent of Police at Alathur, Kollam, Thrissur, and Kannur.
“My beloved Social Studies teacher in 9th standard, Sr. Rosita, he was also my kindred spirit, propelled me towards Civil Services. I realized that Civil Service is the best means to serve society in the way I wished. Therefore, I put all my efforts to achieve my goal.”
‘Janamaithri Suraksha’ Project
In 2008, Ms. Sandhya came up with a policing initiative ‘Janamaithri Suraksha Project’ that sought to develop closer ties between the police and the citizens and create “synergistic alliances’’ within local communities to deal with successfully with anti-social activities and prevent crime. As part of the program, the police were encouraged to implement various steps such as night patrolling within the neighborhood, coordination with security guards of private establishments and residential colonies, identification of strangers in a locality, and installation of security alarm systems in residences and other establishments. The initiative was a huge success and gained a lot of praise from the citizens.
Difficult Cases
During her 32 years of service, Ms. Sandhya has solved numerous cases. She came across various crimes that looked simple but were entangled in a complex web. As she told Indian Masterminds, “In my service, I had to investigate a number of cases and I am proud that I could follow these to the logical end. Many of these were quite complicated. I got opportunities to handle cases regarding the atrocities against women and children; with the assistance of my team members, I was able to fetch maximum punishment to the culprits. The Agali double murder for a gain case is a very satisfying case. I am much satisfied that I could prove the sensational Kuruppampady Murder cum Rape Case (of 2016), as it was very challenging.”
National and International Recognition
For her various achievements in the service, Ms. Sandhya has earned well deserved awards and praises not only in India but from outside the country too. She has received a total of 7 awards and medals for her services till date. She has been
- Awarded President of India’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service, on the occasion of Republic Day 2006.
- International Association of Women Police – Annual Award 2010. Awarded at Minneapolis, U.S.A, for the outstanding contribution in the field of Community Policing and Crimes against Women.
- Awarded President of India’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, on the occasion of Republic Day 2014.
- Received the Guinness book of Award for Janamaithri Police of Kerala State for participating in an environmental program organized by Asianet news network, Thiruvananthapuram, on World Forest Day on April 21, 2017.
- Received the Police Excellence Award 2017 for `Janamaithri Suraksha Project’, the Community Policing Scheme of Kerala from the Foundation for Policy Research, New Delhi.
- Received the Badge of Honour from the Director-General of Police, Kerala on 26th January 2018, for successful investigation and prosecution of criminals in a sensational Murder cum rape case of a Dalit woman (Crime No.909/16 of Kuruppumpady, Ernakulam Rural).
- As a creative writer in Malayalam, received numerous awards; Abudhabi Sakthi Award, Gopalakrishnan Kolazhi Award, Edassery Award, C.V Sahithya Puraskaram, Punaloor Balan Award, etc.
Words of Encouragement
Talking about the challenges in the service, Ms. Sandhya believes that the best way to overcome a crisis is to face them and not run away from them.
“I always try to study any complicated issue and apply my mind to solve the issue in a sensible manner. In short, my professional training taught me that solution to any of the challenges is not far away, if only we act in an impartial manner with commitment and obligation to the Constitution of India and the law of the land.”
In short, Ms. Sandhya believes in upholding the law, come what may.
