Kiran Bedi, who lost the race for the job of Delhi’s police commissioner, Wednesday blamed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for picking “someone junior” to her for the coveted post.
“It’s complete injustice to me and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has let me down. I am completely disappointed with the government and the bureaucracy,” an angry Bedi, one of India’s most decorated police officers, told IANS.
“The decision for selecting someone junior to me for the top city post is truly unfair. How can the prime minister simply disregarded seniority when he has the final word in the cabinet?” asked a disappointed Bedi, who was expecting to be the capital’s first woman police commissioner
“Prime Minister Singh was my last hope and he should have respected merit. He has not only let me down but the entire police system. It is also a rejection of the lieutenant governor of Delhi who had recommended my name for the post. It is also a rejection of the people of Delhi who wanted to see me as their first police commissioner.”
But a combative Bedi, 58, said she was not going to take things lying down and would fight this “injustice”.
As a first step, she said she had gone on leave from the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), a police think-tank.
A 1972-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Bedi is two years senior to Dadwal and was keen to take charge of Delhi Police that she has served in various capacities with distinction.
A law graduate from Delhi University, Bedi was the first woman to join IPS. She was also a former all-India and all-Asian tennis champion.
Bedi became a household name in the Indian capital when she took charge of Delhi Traffic Police, earning in the process the sobriquet “Crane Bedi” because of her penchant for using cranes for removing vehicles parked illegally on roads.
She then went on to hold several posts, including as deputy inspector general of police in Mizoram, as inspector general of police in Chandigarh, director general of Narcotics Control Bureau, inspector general of police at Tihar Jail, joint commissioner of police training and as special commissioner in charge of intelligence.
She then went on deputation to the United Nations. She won the Magsaysay Award for government service. She later became the director general of BPRD.
Earlier in the day, the ministry of home affairs appointed Special Commissioner (Administration) Yudhvir Singh Dadwal, a 1974-batch IPS officer as Delhi’s new police chief.
Dadwal will take over from K.K. Paul Thursday. Outgoing commissioner Paul will move to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as a member. He served as the national capital’s police chief for over 40 months, the longest tenure ever.
Former commissioner Ajay Raj Sharma had served the city for the second longest period of three years.
According to police sources, the decision swung in Dadwal’s favour because of his reputation and long association with the city police.
“It was a tough competition as Bedi too has the reputation of being a tough police official,” a senior police official said.
“She was not given the Delhi Police rein because she has not been actively involved with the city police for many years. The other reason could probably be her outspoken personality. Bureaucrats in the ministry were said to be opposed to her,” the official explained.
