Harpreet Kaur, a 2009-batch IPS officer and Kaimur's superintendent of police, will soon become the first female officer to be awarded the President's medal for internal security in recent times.
The award is conferred on police officers for outstanding and consistent performances in the maintenance of law and order, especially in Maoist-hit districts, over a period of two years.
Kaur was recently awarded, by the state government, for the proper implementation of prohibition in areas falling under her jurisdiction. She has also been credited with exposing a racket in which excise department officials would extort money from people by implicating them in false cases.
A senior IPS officer said, "Kaur's name for the President's medal for internal security was recommended and sent to police headquarters by deputy inspector general of police (Shahabad range) Mohammad Rahman."
Kaur, a resident of Punjab's Barnala district, is known for her integrity and resilience against criminals and Maoists. She took over the post of Kaimur's superintendent of police (SP) in April, 2015, from her batch mate Pushkar Anand, who was charged for sexually harassing a female police officer.
Since Kaur took charge 13 hardcore Maoists, including a few self proclaimed sub-zonal commanders and area commanders have been arrested, while one active member with a regular weapon even surrendered before the police. "My focus is primarily on community policing. I feel that it is a handy tool to reach people living in villages considered to be a hotbed of the Naxal outfit. It has paid rich dividends in districts, where I have served as police chief," Kaur told The Telegraph.
According to records, Adhaura, Chainpur, Bhagwanpur and Chand police stations in Kaimur district, have been identified as the worst Naxal affected areas.
Kaur has also won accolades as SP of Jehanabad and Begusarai districts - considered as tough regions in terms of internal security.
While Jehanabad is considered a Maoist infested district, Begusarai is a crime prone area. During her tenure as the SP of Jehanabad, she had arrested a female Maoist leader and recovered Rs 27.5 lakh which had been attained through extortion.
The arrested Maoists were identified as Parwati Devi, wife of central committee member Arvind Kumar, and Radheshyam Yadav.
Subodh Sharma, another Maoist leader, was also nabbed from Jehanabad. As SP of Begusarai, she had unearthed a well-knit racket involved in the smuggling of artefacts and priceless idols of deities.
She has been known to organise medical camps, sports and quiz competitions and has even distributed blankets in order to win the confidence of people in villages suffering from security issues.
Emboldened with her success, Kaur has now decided to launch skill development programmes in the Maoist infested areas of Kaimur. "I am in touch with a few residents of Adhaura who are interested in skill development courses," she added.
