Dr. Sanjukta Parashar, the first lady IPS Officer in Assam, secured 85th Position (All India Ranking) in the UPSC exam and she could have chosen any comfortable and easy-going desk job. It certainly would make sense for her since she has a 2 year old son and have a Ph.D from Jawaharlal University, New Delhi. Instead, she opted the call of the uniform by joining the Police service, when most other women cadres chose to join IAS.
Sanjukta Parashar: The face that Bodo militants fear
In 2008, when Sanjukta Parashar got her posting as Assistant Commandant of Makum. Maybe it was an interesting sign of fortunate or unfortunate experience, within two hours of her joining the office, she was assigned to move to Udalguri, upon urgent intervention to prevent the situation in the area where ethnic clashes between the Bodo and illegal migrants from Bangladeshi had broken out. Now the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Assam’s Jorhat District, she regularly leads CRPF jawans and commandos through Assam’s jungles armed with an AK-47.
Later the same year, she got married to Puru Gupta, who is currently the Deputy Commissioner of Chirang district of Assam and they are blessed with a two-year-old son.
Last month, her team arrested militants responsible for lethal attacks on Army convoys. Along with militants who use the jungle as camouflage, there are also elements that are dangerous – a treacherous terrain with high humidity, sudden torrential rains that suddenly create chest high currents in the river and wild animals.
As Assam’s first IPS officer, she is very much aware of how the state’s women look up to her as a role model and a beacon of hope. In an interview with Fried Eye, she remembered posting lady officers in civil dress, to catch eve teasers in buses, schools and colleges.
She also uses small gestures to make a big impact.
Sanjukta Parashar, the popular SP in Jorhat, now apparently offers candies to two wheeler riders who wear helmets. Nice. :)
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