Two new women DSPs take charge

HYDERABAD: Gender barriers received another knock in the police department on Thursday, with two women officers passing out of the portals of the Andhra Pradesh Police Academy (APPA) as deputy superintendents of police.
The new DSPs, B Sumati of Mahbubnagar and Parimala Hannah Nutan Jacob of Warangal, have created history in the state police by becoming the first two women officers to achieve the rank.
After the passing-out parade of the sixth batch of probationary DSPs, which was graced by home minister T Devender Goud and director-general of police P Ramulu, the women officers spoke to The Times of India about why and how they chose a life in khaki as their career.
According to Sumati, 25, a native of Kalugotla village in Mahbubnagar, being born and brought up in a village was one of the factors that made her choose the police as a career. “Faction wars are a part of life in my village. I have experienced first-hand the importance of a police officer’s role,� she said.
A romance with her classmate in college, Srinath Raju, an MBA graduate, culminated in marriage. So would it be tough to balance the roles of wife, mother and police officer? “Not at all. In fact, women are naturally adept at handling differing demands,� she said. Fellow-achiever, P Hannah Nutan Jacob says her idol is super-cop Kiran Bedi.
“I intend to carry forward the image of the competent policewoman as demonstrated by her,� says Hannah. Hannah, 30, is the daughter of a professor in the Regional Engineering College. She says her life-partner should be willing to accommodate the demands of her job. Earlier, at the passing-out parade, nine probationary DSPs were administered the oath by APPA director K Ratan.
Home minister Devender Goud gave away the chief minister’s pistol for the best all-round performance to R N Ammi Reddy, who also walked away with the remaining three prizes for indoor and outdoor subjects, and shooting. Ramoorthy P B Sumati of Mahbubnagar is all smiles after passing out as DSP at the Andhra Pradesh Police Academy in Hyderabad on Thursday.
The other women officer who passed out as DSP is Parimala Hannah Nutan Jacob of Warangal.