Making one’s parents proud is a dream every child nurtures. Not many though get their chances.IPS officer Sara Sharma though is one lucky girl who has achieved her goal of making her parents proud and happy.
She has not only made her mother’s dream come true by wearing the Khaki but she has also created a human face for the police wherever she has gone.
A 2010 batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre, Ms. Sharma has not only proved to be a versatile singer but also an equally efficient cop in each of her postings.
The trained classical singer
started her career in uniform from Bolangir and then served in Gajapati (both as SDPO and SP), then in Angul’s Principal Police Training Institute among several others.
Currently posted as the SP, Vigilance (Sambalpur), Ms. Sharma has never hesitated going beyond her duties be it in putting together a ‘She Team’ for women in Gajapati or adopting a tribal village.
She has shown by example that policing goes beyond just registering complaints and chasing offenders.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Ms. Sharma shared her experiences in bringing change in
the small tribal town ‘Sindibur’ (Odisha).
TRUST ISSUES
Ms. Sharma who has M. Phil from Jawaharlal University and has taught at various universities
as an assistant professor before joining IPS served as the SP, of Gajapati during Covid times.
It was her second time in the district and she was familiar with the problems people faced.
Gajapati is one of the remote, interior districts earlier influenced by the Naxal movement.
“There are many factors that led them to lose faith in the administration. Regular policing
was not enough to win the people back. There is always a significant risk of someone joining the left extremists if not constructively engaged,” she said.
Covid had impacted even the most developed urban areas. “Gajapati being a
tribal underdeveloped area was a much worse hit. be left,” the officer recalls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already given the call for everyone capable to adopt villages and remote areas for development.
Sara got the chance following major support.
ADOPTING A VILLAGE
A student of Ms. Sharma from Hidayatullah National Law University, who worked in a big firm,
wanted to help people during the Covid. He had the funds and Ms. Sharma knew where to
use the fund.
After a discussion with her colleagues in Gajapati, it was decided that a village on a hilltop lacking basic infrastructure like road and connectivity would be adopted.
The villagers were living in mud houses, with no proper water supply, and the area was prone to mudslides and rain.
Sara used the fund to adopt the village. Watching her efforts, other stakeholders also volunteered for the upliftment of similar villages.
The IPS officer and her team went to their village, interacted with almost every family, and arranged for their needs. The district administration along with other departments also provided support.
Basic needs such as road transport, education, drinking water, sanitization, clothes, utensils,
etc. were all taken care of by Ms. Sharma and her team’s efforts.
A medical camp was set up where even private practitioners conducted check-ups and provided medicines and vitamins.
The police
department of Gajapati tied up with Children Welfare Committee to help orphanedstudents with accommodation and education.
DARLING OF GAJAPATI
Her nurturing of close bonds between police and people made Ms. Sharma a darling of Gajapati.
Every individual was sad while bidding her farewell when it was time for her to move on.
She considers Gajapati one of her best tenures and wishes to emulate it wherever she goes.
Though she has not been able to visit her adopted village but she has been assured that the current district administration is doing everything in its capacity.
