On October 31, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy will witness a massive career shift exercise, with over 100 doctors, engineers and management professionals donning the khaki outfit .
As the academy has its 67{+t}{+h}passing out parade on Saturday, 80 officer trainees who were engineers, 19 doctors and 13 management (MBA) professionals would march out as IPS officers ready to be posted in States across the country. In total, 141 IPS officers will graduate from the NPA this year, other than 15 officers from other countries.
The NPA is witness to the trend of reverse influx from private to pubic sector, senior police officers observed. As against the trend seen till 2007, when young officers and even seasoned ones opted out of public service to take up jobs in the private sector, the past few years had seen an increase in number of B.Tech and MBBS professionals opting for civil services.
A total of 80 officer trainees who graduate this year were engineers, 19 were doctors and 13 were management (MBA) professionals, academy records reveal.
As for Partharajsinh N. Gohil, an MBBS degree holder, the decision to drop out of his medical internship had not come easy. As he started his preparation for Union Public Service Commission examination in 2011, there were many who asked him to rethink the decision.
“After I started my preparation, I had only one dream and that was to join the Indian Police Service,” said Mr. Gohil who ended up winning the Prime Minister’s baton and Home Ministry’s revolver for the best all round IPS probationer this year.
The 35-year-old will be posted in his home State, Gujarat. His counterpart, M. Sree Abhinav, the young IPS officer from Malkajgiri, Hyderabad, too seemed to be cut out from the same mould. “I had many options to choose from after I did my B Tech degree in Hyderabad. Unlike my brother, who works in a private firm abroad, I opted to join the force,” Mr. Abhinav said, adding his grandfather and father both served in the Intelligence Bureau.
Bhavana Gupta, who won the 1973 batch IPS officer’s trophy for the best all-round lady IPS officer, leaving her B Tech days behind was one of wisest choices she made.
Ms. Gupta will now be posted in West Bengal. A total of 28 women officers – out of whom two are from Bhutan – will march their way out of the academy on October 31. Interestingly, a majority of them had opted for IPS leaving jobs in the private sector behind. The first female director of the police academy, Aruna Bahuguna, predicted a rapid growth in the trend.
“Even from banking sector we get many trainees who opt for IPS,” she said, adding a good number of women are coming in to the academy from different fields every year.
Apart from making a tough professional choice, a female trainee officer from Tamil Nadu, Sudar Vizhi had also made a difficult personal one.
Over 100 doctors, engineers and management professionals donning the khaki outfit this year
