DIG Suman Gupta in Hazaribagh on Monday. Picture by Vishvendu Jaipuriar

Hazaribagh, July 25: By hauling up a bus driver who was the cause of a massive traffic jam on Subhash Chowk in Ramgarh district this morning, new deputy inspector-general of North Chotanagpur Suman Gupta made it clear that she means business.

The new DIG was on her way to Hazaribagh from Ranchi to take up charge when she encountered the jam, and instead of sitting in her official car, Gupta got down and tackled the problem head-on.

Later, speaking to The Telegraph in Hazaribagh, Gupta spelt out her agenda. She said the right thing to do was to give a person the time to mend his or her ways before initiating action. “As DIG, I will try to create an environment which would be conducive to bridging the gap between the police and the public. I have set my work targets and I expect co-operation from every member of the police department,” she said, adding that for better policing, teamwork was a prerequisite.

Speaking about the tinted glasses on her official car, Gupta said she would have the black films removed as she liked to see what was happening around while travelling. “I keep my eyes on the road when I travel and if I notice a problem, I initiate action,” she said.

She said if she heard loudspeakers blaring, she would take steps to put an end to it.

Gupta admitted that a communication gap existed between the police and the public, but said she would always be available in her office, besides people could contact her on her cell phone without hesitation when faced with a problem.

On the poor traffic situation in the district, Gupta said the common mindset needed to change first.

Commenting on corruption in the ranks, Gupta said the only way to discipline officers and constables was through training.

Stating that she never considered any post that she has worked in as less important, Gupta said she was ready to move wherever assignments took her. A 1997-batch IPS officer, Gupta hails from Patna and has worked as superintendent of police in places in Jharkhand. After her stint as SP, Dhanbad, she was transferred as SP, technical services in Ranchi. She was then promoted as DIG (wireless) before coming to Hazaribagh.

When told that coal smuggling had started again in the area, allegedly in connivance with police personnel, Gupta said she would look into the matter. She said coal smuggling should be treated on par with any other crime.

“Officers should understand that if they fail to act against coal smugglers, they are not fit to don their uniforms,” she added.