Men think women bosses don’t have practical knowledge, says IGP Roopa

Women have to work doubly hard to prove themselves professionally, said D Roopa, Inspector General of Police, Home Guards and Civil Defence, at the 5th Women Leadership Summit held at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) on Sunday.

Talking about the bold decisions she made years before TV channels or social media platforms emerged to highlight it, she said, “As Deputy Commissioner of Police in the City Armed Reserve, I had taken away 255 unauthorised gunmen from 85 politicians who had taken extra gunmen for their protection. I got a privilege notice for it. One cannot view this as harassment, even if it is, and get bogged down.”

As DIG Prisons, she exposed prison irregularities in July 2017. She received the ‘Excellence in Ethical Governance Award,’ among many others, for her courage and whistle-blowing act. She was also the first female officer to head the cybercrime division of the police that has jurisdiction over the entire state.  
She recalled another incident when she had got her deputy to arrest an ex-minister for instigating a riot with a speech in Nargund, Gadag. “My second in command had arrested 10 men who had burned buses, which is public property, but not the man who was responsible for instigating the riot with his speech which was video recorded. I was told by my deputy to talk to him and let him off, which I didn’t. We produced him before the judge after 10.30 pm. I had to appear before the privilege committee four to five times over the years but I didn’t mind,” she said.   

Roopa said her immediate officers showed resistance while taking orders from her because she is a woman.“Men think that women who are their superiors don’t have practical knowledge. They have reached where they are because of a higher UPSC rank but are not street smart. We have to work doubly hard and always be professional to prove that we do have knowledge of things on the ground,” she said.
She added that no matter what postings an officer gets, thanks to frequent transfers, women can make their mark. “Kiran Bedi brought so many changes in Tihar Jail when she was made in-charge of the Prisons department,” she said.