A no-nonsense woman officer with zero tolerance of law breakers

Anita Chinnappal

20-July-2012

Vol 3 | Issue 29

There was a time when a list of super cops would hardly ever have entertained a woman in its midst. Not anymore. Thankfully, the glass ceiling is well and truly broken in this terrain.

Meet Sonia Narang, the IPS officer known across Karnataka for her forthrightness in the most audacious of circumstances.

She put behind bars an MLA of the ruling party (Photo: The Sunday Indian)

Presently, the Deputy Commissioner (South Division) of Bangalore, the lady is only the second woman cop to be seated in the position in the state’s history. Her zero tolerance of anyone flouting the law has won her ample acclaim and even a little notoriety throughout the state.

Circa 2006: Narang was posted as the Superintendent of Police in Davangere, when activists from both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress clashed violently during protests.

She slapped and put behind bars an MLA of the ruling party and the rest is history. Next day Sonia Narang hit headlines of major newspapers!

While most people admired her courage, the political masters were none too happy. The concerned BJP MLA Renukacharya tried his best to get her transferred from his area, but never succeeded.

“Honesty and courage are powerful weapons in governance. If we possess these two, no one can influence you, however powerful he or she might be,” says Narang.

Three years after this incident, controversy again courted Narang. She was posted in Belgaum– a town that has been in the midst of Kannada-Marathi clashes for quite some time.

It was early 2009 and the town was very tense over the border row. Section 144 was imposed throughout the district. But some miscreants managed to wreak havoc which angered Narang.

She interrogated the inspector-in-charge, but failed to get satisfactory answers. The lady lost her cool and kicked him. There was a rumour that the humiliated cop later tried to kill himself but survived.

In her defence, Narang says that she had only suspended the PSI for not doing his duty. Today, the tough as nails cop says that she was fully aware of the cons before joining the service.

“I knew very well that the police profession means 24X7 work; with diverse challenges. And I prepared myself accordingly. Maintaining law and order is our duty and I have been honestly doing it,” she said.

Born and brought up in Chandigarh and a Gold Medal winning graduate from Punjab University, Narang is an inspiration for many.

Incidentally, her husband Ganesh Kumar is currently serving as SP in Motihari district of Bihar and the two are only able to meet once in a few months.

Apart from cracking down on crime in the city, her priority nowadays is to use her vacations to spend quality time with her son and husband.

By arrangement with The Sunday Indian