Kiran Bedi episode sparks a class divide

NEW DELHI: The government decision not to name Kiran Bedi, one of India's most respected police officers, as the Delhi Police chief has led to a clear divide in the ranks, leaving the bulk of the constabulary and junior officers unhappy.

Serving and retired officers in the capital's police force say the choice of Yudhbir Singh Dadwal has been welcomed by most officers but has not gone down well with constables, head constables and assistant sub-inspectors, who form the bulk of the work force.

Delhi Police personnel who spoke on the condition of anonymity say the dominant feeling is that Bedi, who has far more experience than Dadwal, lost out because she is an outspoken officer who always goes by the rule book.

"The constabulary thinks that Bedi would have made a tremendous difference to Delhi Police had she been selected," said a Station House Officer (SHO) who admitted that he himself was happy over the choice of Dadwal but added that Bedi enjoyed "great respect".

And Bedi's outburst late on Wednesday over the denial of a job she thought she deserved because she is senior to Dadwal by two years is only going to hurt the police force, some said.

One retired police officer pointed out that Bedi had earned iconic status as few officers had done "because of her ability to put in sheer hard work, maintain discipline and at the same time be scrupulously honest".

The source said that many years ago when Bedi headed the west district in Delhi Police and brought about a major change in the crime situation in the area, hundreds of ordinary people used to throng her interactions with the public.

"No one ever doubted her integrity, and more important she was easily accessible," the former officer said. "One day I was at her function when an elderly woman came up from behind saying reverentially: 'Son, please move. Let me have her 'darshan'."

Others explained that Bedi's successes made fellow officers envious and her overall personality did not win her many friends in the status conscious home ministry.

An inspector who has served as SHO for years felt that in ordinary times Dudwal's selection would not have made any impact either way. "But it is Kiran Bedi's rejection that is making all the difference."

In the weeks leading to Wednesday's appointment, quite a few constables, head constables and assistant sub-inspectors even pleaded with journalists to see that Bedi got the top job.

Many of them felt that Bedi would do a lot to improve their working conditions, which remains pathetic considering the amount of work they put in every day even as they don't get the facilities they and their families deserve.

The first woman to join the Indian Police Service (IPS), Bedi has served a variety of posts with distinction. She became a household name in the capital in the 1980s when she headed the Delhi Traffic Police and came to be known as "Crane Bedi" - for her penchant to use cranes to tow away illegally parked vehicles on roads irrespective of their ownership.

She also carried out sweeping reforms in Delhi's Tihar Central Jail, winning in the process the Magsaysay award - the Asian Nobel Prize - for government service and also a stint as a consultant to then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

On Wednesday night, Bedi uncharacteristically hit out at even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying that he had done 'injustice' to her.

A retired Delhi Police officer said Thursday that he once told Bedi that she could easily win a parliamentary if she were to fight one.

Bedi, however, carefully steered away from anything controversial, associating herself only with NGOs and the world of books besides policing.

"My mistake is that I did not break any rule or attend any late night parties or do anything unprofessional or create a scandal," she said after Dudwal stepped into shoes she thought belonged to her.