REALITY what it takes to be
O
ne of the most striking aspects about
fire-brand police officer Chhaya
Sharma is her friendly disposition.
She has a naughty gleam in her eye
when answering questions, and doesn’t shy away
from letting the real ‘Chhaya’ shine from behind
the uniform. Yet, it is not tough to imagine that
she has cracked tough cases like PNL Nidhi
Chennai scam, the Delhi Defence Colony bank
van heist, the Baby Falak case, and the Sultanpuri
gang rape case, and has caught notorious
criminals like Narender Don and Raju Hakla. She
garnered prominence with the Nirbhaya case, on
which she and her team worked round-the-clock,
since they had only a few vague leads to go with.
The 47-year-old officer, who currently serves
as the Deputy Inspector General, Investigation
Division, National Human Rights Commission,
says her family is her emotional anchor. She is
extremely vocal on Twitter, and loves spending
time with her husband Vivek Kishore, DCP
Headquarters, New Delhi.Did you always want to be a police
officer? Which career would you have
chosen if you hadn’t become one?
I knew that I wanted to serve the country as
a civil servant, and being a police officer didn’t
appeal to me initially. My mind took a turn when
I topped the IPS list, and I wanted to give it
a try. Post that, there was no looking back. I loved
wearing the uniform, and enjoyed the training
and related activities. Once I was in the field,
I started understanding how police action can
render quantitative assistance to victims in the
fastest manner. If not a police officer or civil
servant, I would have been a travel entrepreneur
or a restaurateur.You were the main brain behind solving
the Nirbhaya case. What kept you
and your team motivated?
The motivation stemmed from the empathy
I felt for Nirbhaya, and the hapless situation of
her parents. Being a mother, sister, daughter, and
a friend, I was internally troubled and wanted to
do my bit as a police woman. Moreover, onceCOLOUR OF
COURAGE
Super-cop Chhaya Sharma, the main brain behind
the Nirbhaya case, believes that emotions are part
of being human. She talks to Shraddha Kamdar
about the struggle to be dispassionate and focused
on solving each case“IF NOT A POLICE OFFICER OR
CIVIL SERVANT, I WOULD HAVE
BEEN A TRAVEL ENTREPRENEUR
OR A RESTAURATEUR.”REALITY what it takes to be
O
ne of the most striking aspects about
fire-brand police officer Chhaya
Sharma is her friendly disposition.
She has a naughty gleam in her eye
when answering questions, and doesn’t shy away
from letting the real ‘Chhaya’ shine from behind
the uniform. Yet, it is not tough to imagine that
she has cracked tough cases like PNL Nidhi
Chennai scam, the Delhi Defence Colony bank
van heist, the Baby Falak case, and the Sultanpuri
gang rape case, and has caught notorious
criminals like Narender Don and Raju Hakla. She
garnered prominence with the Nirbhaya case, on
which she and her team worked round-the-clock,
since they had only a few vague leads to go with.
The 47-year-old officer, who currently serves
as the Deputy Inspector General, Investigation
Division, National Human Rights Commission,
says her family is her emotional anchor. She is
extremely vocal on Twitter, and loves spending
time with her husband Vivek Kishore, DCP
Headquarters, New Delhi.Did you always want to be a police
officer? Which career would you have
chosen if you hadn’t become one?
I knew that I wanted to serve the country as
a civil servant, and being a police officer didn’t
appeal to me initially. My mind took a turn when
I topped the IPS list, and I wanted to give it
a try. Post that, there was no looking back. I loved
wearing the uniform, and enjoyed the training
and related activities. Once I was in the field,
I started understanding how police action can
render quantitative assistance to victims in the
fastest manner. If not a police officer or civil
servant, I would have been a travel entrepreneur
or a restaurateur.You were the main brain behind solving
the Nirbhaya case. What kept you
and your team motivated?
The motivation stemmed from the empathy
I felt for Nirbhaya, and the hapless situation of
her parents. Being a mother, sister, daughter, and
a friend, I was internally troubled and wanted to
domybitasa policewoman.Moreover,onceCOLOUR OF
COURAGE
Super-cop Chhaya Sharma, the main brain behind
the Nirbhaya case, believes that emotions are part
of being human. She talks to Shraddha Kamdar
about the struggle to be dispassionate and focused
on solving each case“IF NOT A POLICE OFFICER OR
CIVIL SERVANT, I WOULD HAVE
BEEN A TRAVEL ENTREPRENEUR
OR A RESTAURATEUR.”