A Courageous Woman of Many Achievements: Kiran Bedi

Social activist Kiran Bedi has successfully challenged stereotypical views. She is renowned for being our country’s first female IPS officer. She is an accomplished woman who has inspired countless young girls to stand-up for themselves and refuse to let other people run their lives. She deserves all the praise in the world for her tenacity and incredible willpower. Follow her journey from a Punjabi girl from a small town to the iconic figure she is today!

Kiran Bedi’s Early Life

Kiran Bedi was born on 09 June 1949 in Amritsar, Punjab. Against all odds, Kiran’s parents, Prem Peshawaria and Prakash Peshawari, ensured their four daughters got everything they needed to be educated and successful. When she was a student at Sacred Heart Convent School, she participated in the National Cadet Corps (NCC). She was interested in playing tennis and won various titles such as Junior National Lawn Tennis Championship, 1966, All India Interstate Women’s lawn tennis Championship, 1976, and Asian Lawn Tennis Championship, 1972.

Education

Kiran Bedi did a Bachelor of Arts in English (Hons.) in the year 1968 from Government College for Women. In 1970, she took her Master’s degree from Punjab University, Chandigarh in Political Science.

From the University of Delhi’s Faculty of Law, she took a law degree (LLB) in 1988 while working as a police officer. In 1993, she completed her Ph.D. in social science in social science from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. Her thesis was based on Drug Misuse and Domestic Violence.

She got married to Brij Bedi in 1972 and gave birth to a daughter in 1975 while continuing her education. Her daughter Saina followed the footspes of her mother and works for social cause.

Career

She has held various positions during her career. In 1970, she accepted the lecturer position at the Khalsa College for Women in Amritsar, which was the start of her professional life. In 1972, Kiran Bedi was the first woman to join the IPS (Indian Police Service). She became the top officer. Throughout her career, she had to fulfill demanding and challenging tasks, and she worked tremendously hard to give each one her best. Her previous positions include the Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of Chandigarh, Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau, Deputy Inspector General of Police in Mizoram, a region prone to insurgency, and Traffic Commissioner of New Delhi.

Bedi was awarded a UN medal for being the first Indian woman to be appointed to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, as the Secretary-Civilian General’s Police Advisor in 2003. On international forums, she represented India on issues relating to women, drug abuse, police reform, and prisoner reform. She accepted the Director-General of India’s Bureau of Police Research and Development role in 2005, which was her most recent position. To address other socioeconomic issues, she voluntarily quit her job in 2007.

She was appointed Puducherry’s Lieutenant Governor (LG) in 2016, although she was recently removed from her office due to political tension with the opposition. She nevertheless thanked “Team Raj Nivas” in a parting tweet on Wednesday, wished the people of Puducherry luck in the future, and stated that “everything done was a sacred responsibility satisfying her legal and moral commitments.

Social Assistance

She founded two nonprofit organizations that are run by volunteers (NGOs):

• Navjyoti (1988)
• India Vision Foundation, second (1994)

She established the Navjyoti Foundation with 17 other police officers to provide drug users a chance to recover. The organization has widened its scope to address illiteracy and women’s empowerment issues. To further rural and social development, criminal justice reform, prison reform, and women’s emancipation. She founded the India Vision Foundation in 1994. She received an honorary “Doctor of Law” degree from the UN, which presented her organization, the Serge Sotiroff Memorial Award, for combating drug misuse.

She has contributed significantly to India Against Corruption along with Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal. She remained determined despite being imprisoned during anti-corruption protests. Her attempts to combat corruption were successful when the Parliament agreed on a resolution to take three things into account when drafting the Lokpal Bill. Through her books and newspaper articles, she increases public awareness to bring about social change on a variety of topics.