Delhi, being the capital of India, is home to the who’s who of the country. And Delhi Police is the backbone of this capital city working tirelessly 24/7 to maintain law and order and provide maximum security to the dignitaries and public alike. Naturally, a police force operating at the vortex of power has to work under tremendous pressure and scrutiny. Yet, we know little about what keeps this force on its toes, how they manage to work ceaselessly to ensure the citizens feel safe and secure.
But now with Mr. Suvashis Chaudhary’s new book, Capital Cops: The Unofficial Guide To Delhi Police, we will get to know more about Delhi Police, per se, and right from the horse’s mouth! Mr. Chaudhary recently got his superannuation after serving as Joint Commissioner of Police (southern range), Delhi. He joined the Indian Police Service in the year 1987 as ACP, Delhi.
WHAT GAVE BIRTH TO CAPITAL COPS
In an interaction with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Chaudhary said that he noticed that people knew very little about the internal working and processing of things in the police department. Most of them are also not aware of how laws and regulations are in their favor and, hence, they fear to come to us. “I just wanted to fill up this communication gap with knowledge, and with this thought the idea to write a book took shape,” he informed. It took him 2 years to complete the book.
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
Capital Cops is not just a book, it’s a comprehensive guide that covers the history of the Delhi Police right from the era of Alauddin Khilji (1296-1316) to the present. It covers the long journey from the Kotwal to the Police Commissioner. All 12 chapters of this book are quite insightful and help readers to understand the various aspects of policing. The book mentions 25 PPR register i.e. Punjab police rules register that was enacted in 1934 and is still followed in Pakistan. He mentions the Urdu words that are still in use, like Roznamcha (station diary), Dus Numbri (fraud), Maalkhana (warehouse), etc.
EVERY COP IS IMPORTANT
In one of the chapters named “Flesh and Blood: The Man Who Matters”, he writes about the significance of every cop, from ground level to the top. “From duty officer to SHO (station house officer), from emergency officer to beat cop, everyone is equally important to us”, he says. He recalls the infamous tandoor murder case of Delhi which came to light because of the alertness of a beat cop. This is one of the cases mentioned in his book.
WHAT MAKES DELHI POLICE DIFFERENT
Being the capital of the world’s largest democracy, Delhi is the hub of legislature, Parliament, media, culture, socio-economic activities, businesses, etc. So, obviously, security is of great importance here. This huge responsibility of maintaining law and order effectively in the capital city makes Delhi Police special.
ITS HISTORY
The book informs that the modern police force was set up under the Police Act 1861. Initially, Delhi police was a part of Punjab police. At that time, there were just 5 police stations named Sabji Mandi, Nangloi, Mehroli, Sadar Bazar and Kotwali. The 1st FIR was Registered in Sabji Mandi Chowki on October 18 in the same year. Delhi police got its first Inspector General on February 16, 1948. Currently, it’s a force of 87,000 police personnel working under 163 police stations.
MARRIED TO WORK
A part of the book highlights the difference between the private life of a cop and a common man. Mr Suvashis rues, “It’s a job that allows no family time and demands full dedication.”
TIPS TO IPS ASPIRANTS
Getting selected to police service is a matter of prestige. But, “one who wants to join should be mentally prepared to serve 24/7. It’s a job where even a small help of yours can do miracles in people’s lives. You just need to keep learning and serving the nation,” advised the former IPS officer.
Good advice from a man who, from his early days has been a meritorious student, and is pursuing his PhD from IIT Delhi even now, after retirement from service. “At any stage of life, learning has to go on. We should never stop educating ourselves,” Mr Suvashis said.
