Son of the soil
Sometimes failures really do act as stepping stones, as it happened in the case of Sirisetti Sankeerth. The IPS probationer from Bellampally in Mancherial district was allotted his home cadre — Telangana.
Driven by passion for uniformed services, he appeared for the position of Sub-Inspector, but failed the physical exam. Undeterred by the failure, he worked his way with passion and commitment to occupy an IPS officer status.
“During an SI recruitment a few years ago, I cleared the written exam, but failed the physical exam, especially 800 metres running which people were supposed to clear in 160 seconds. I took longer. Now I can run 800 metres in 120 seconds,” he said.
His father Satyanarayana is an electrician in Singareni Collieries Company Limited while mother Anitha is a lecturer. Born and brought up in Bellampally, Mr.Sankeerth completed Civil Engineering from Osmania University and later worked as assistant executive engineer in Mission Bhagiratha project. He cleared civil services exam in his fifth attempt and said Cyberabad Commissioner of Police M. Stephen Raveendra was his inspiration. Mr. Raveendra had worked as ASP Bellampally during the initial days of his career.
Punjab’s ‘Doctor Cop’
Being in the medical profession gives a certain platform to work primarily in the domain of health, but if you are a public servant, it helps you to touch multiple lives and on a bigger platform, says Darpan Ahluwalia, the IPS probationer who would command the Dikshant Parade at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) on Friday.
“Becoming an IPS officer from a doctor is not a change of path or career; I would say it’s an extension of my profession,” she says.
Born in Mohali, Punjab, she completed her MBBS from Government Medical College, Patiala. She cracked the Civil Services Exam in her second attempt and was allotted her home cadre.
Even before the completion of her medical studies, the 27-year-old ‘doctor-cop’ started serving the public through her NGO to spread awareness on breast cancer. “After completing MBBS in 2017, I started organising breast cancer screening camps through my NGO Pink Link Campaign,” she recalls.
The officer took inspiration from her grandfather Narinder Singh, who had served in the Punjab police and retired as district attorney and chief law instructor. “My exposure to the police services was through him,” she says, adding, “During training, I interacted with trafficking survivors and was moved and realised the importance of police service.”
