Former police chief Meeran Chadha Borwankar talks about her career in the book, ‘Madam Commissioner – The Extraordinary Life of an Indian Police Chief’
By Shevlin Sebastian
In 2012, Jyoti Krishnan, an employee of a chartered accountancy firm in Pune, was on her way to work. Two men, pretending to be police officers, asked her to take off her gold necklace and ornaments and put it in her handbag as there was a theft in the neighbourhood. Jyoti did so. Then they distracted her by pointing at something in the distance. Later, they left on their bike.
When Jyoti checked her bag, the ornaments were missing. It was then she realised she had been duped. Jyoti decided to contact Pune City Commissioner Meeran Borwankar. Jyoti had met Meeran twice earlier because was a client at the chartered accountancy firm where she worked.
Meeran asked what the thieves looked like.
“They were very fair and looked like Iranis,” said Jyothi.
It took one month, but the police caught the thieves in Mumbai. Their modus operandi was to steal in Pune and flee to Mumbai.
The goldsmith had melted the jewellery. But he gave jewellery worth its value to Jyothi.
This is one example. There may be hundreds of such cases where Meeran might have intervened and restored the stolen items.
This stellar officer has written a book called ‘Madam Commissioner- The Extraordinary Life of an Indian Police Chief’ (Pan Macmillan Publishers).
The book details Meeran’s experiences as she handled communal riots, faced dacoits, criminals and robbers, came across brutal murders, and investigated the Jalgaon sex scandal, where minors had been gang raped by politicians and criminals.
She also oversaw the hanging of 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab and the 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.
Meeran described in detail the extraordinary heist of a Joyalukkas jewellery showroom in Hyderabad on May 16, 2006. Jewellery worth Rs 9 crore had been stolen. Through some deft sleuthing and deductions, within days, the Crime Branch in Mumbai was able to apprehend the main criminal Vinod Singh and his associate Ajay Jawahar Singh who had fled to the coastal city.
Meeran writes, ‘In the past such sensational detections and recoveries of gold and diamonds had led to allegations of embezzlement by the police. In light of that, I did not leave the office, nor did I get up to take a bathroom break, until the documentation had been completed, and every piece accounted for.’
Thanks to Meeran and her team, all the jewellery was recovered.
There is a theory that no matter how bad a person is, there is something good in him or her. Meeran nods and says, “I have seen the worst criminals being wonderful parents or neighbours. And genuinely so.”
Once the Crime Branch in Mumbai had intercepted a call from underworld gangster, Chhota Rajan, who was living abroad. He was speaking to his wife, Sujatha, whose nickname was Nani.
Chhota Rajan whether his three daughters were studying well. His wife replied in the affirmative. Then he said, “Nani, our daughters should study hard and sit for the IPS.”
This statement came as a surprise for Meeran. “It proves that even a hardened criminal like Chhota Rajan respects the law,” says Meeran.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the pressure exerted by politicians to do something unlawful.
How did Meeran manage this pressure?
“During training, we were told that political interference is a grave issue,” says Meeran. “You have to respect politicians because they are representatives of the public. But you have to do what you feel is correct. And be ready for the consequences.”
Like most honest officers, Meeran had paid the price in stifled promotions and other problems.
Apart from politicians, the massive corruption in the force is now a major issue.
Asked about the way to eradicate corruption, Meeran says, “Around 98 percent of the corruption can be eradicated by a strong watch by the community and the media. The government should expand the counter intelligence and anti-corruption units. Most states have small and ill-equipped units that nobody is scared of.”
In a police force, 40 percent are honest, 40 percent are fence sitters, and 20 percent are gone cases, says Meeran. These fence sitters will get afraid if there are very strong anti-corruption units. And a very important tool to reduce corruption is to ensure the police worked for only eight hours, instead of the 14 they do today.
“They justify their corruption by saying they work for 14 hours for a poor salary,” says Meeran. “In their own minds, taking money is justified.”
As to whether an officer can be damaged by constantly dealing with criminals, murderers, and thieves, Meeran says, “To a certain extent, yes. Before joining the police, I trusted people. But now my antenna is always alert. I don’t believe people easily. I have seen people cheat each other every day for decades. My years in the force has made me aware of the darker side of human nature. So I am always on alert, as compared to an average person.”
Career Highlights
Meeran Chadha Borwankar has been the recipient of the President of India Police Medal for Distinguished Services and Police Medal for Meritorious Services, and has won the Distinguished Leadership Award from the University of Minnesota.
Some of the posts she held include being the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development, and the National Crime Records Bureau, Police Commissioner, Pune City, and Chief of the Crime Branch, Mumbai.
Meeran was Maharashtra State’s first female district police chief as well as its first woman commissioner.
Meeran is on the board of several academic institutions.
‘Madam Commissioner’ is her third book. The earlier two were called ‘Leaves of Life’ and ‘Inspector Chougule (True Police Stories)’
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