An IITian turns policeman

Hailing from the small village of Kurana, at Panipat district in Haryana, it was a dream come true for Ashok Kumar to be an IITian. However, when Kumar realised his interest was in serving the people, he decided to join the Indian Police Service (IPS). He is a deputy with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Delhi. 

Kumar’s book Human in Khaki, in which he shares real-life incidents and anecdotes of a career in the IPS, was recently released in the Capital. The book addresses contemporary issues facing modern India such as terror attacks, crime against women and the changing value system. Kumar received his primary education from a village school and went on to pursue a BTech in mechanical engineering and an MTech in thermal engineering from IIT Delhi. He also received the writer of the year award in 1986-87 at IIT Delhi. 

Talking about the difficulty of making a career switch, he says: “Our education system is such that we have to take our career decisions while we are in school, and class XII is hardly a stage where we can introspect and decide what we want to do in our lives. Our decisions are mostly guided by others. It’s only on-the-job when we realise the nuances of a job and whether we want to pursue it for the rest of our lives.” He further adds, “As I put in more years of service in the police force, at various stations, in various capacities, it became quite clear to me that despite all odds, I had been able to make a difference to the lives of the common man and this has always been my goal.” 

According to Kumar, IIT teaches one to be effective, efficient and excellent in every walk of life, and “this is what helped me in IPS as well as my strength lies in my effectiveness in helping the poor, the needy and the suppressed.” 

Kumar authored the book with Lokesh Ohri, a writer, anthropologist and arts and heritage activist. This book is not meant to be a biography, nor a work of research, says Kumar, adding, “It does not seek to preach to anyone, but just strings together anecdotes and thoughts from a policeman’s life in the hope that society as a whole may gain from this effort.”