Punjab Police count on 19 doctors-turned-IPS officers

Punjab Police count on 19 doctors-turned-IPS officers

The Punjab Police depend significantly on its doctors-turned-Indian Police Service (IPS) officers as 19 of the 144 state cadre officers have medical backgrounds — from MBBS, BDS, and Homeopathy degrees, to those in Ayurveda and veterinary sciences.

Four such officers head the districts as senior superintendents of police, one among them is a DGP rank officer and a number of them are serving the force while occupying senior positions in the field.

What started with 1992-batch IPS officer Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan who has the distinction of being the first MBBS doctor to have joined the Punjab cadre of IPS officers, has continued over the years with subsequent batches witnessing continuous entry of doctors into the state police force.

Among the officers who switched from medical background to don the police uniform, 11 are MBBS doctors, three BDS doctors, and one each graduating in homeopathic medicine and surgery, and ayurvedic medicine and surgery, and as many veterinary officers.

Among them are four women officers, including 2019-batch IPS officer Dr Jyoti Yadav, who is the wife of Punjab cabinet minister Harjot Singh Bains. She is posted as the Superintendent of Police (Investigation) in Mohali.

2015-batch officer Dr Ravjot Grewal, who is posted as Fatehgarh Sahib SSP, had done her BDS degree from Army College of Dental Sciences, Hyderabad in 2011, topped the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) in 2012, served as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Amloh, before eventually joining the Indian Police Service.

“Having medical background proves very helpful in policing. It comes very handy in areas like forensics and community policing. For instance, during Covid-19 management, my medical background proved to be of immense help while enforcing the law,” she told The Indian Express.

2011-batch IPS officer Nanak Singh, who is posted as Mansa SSP, pursued his MBBS degree from Government Medical College, Amritsar, graduating in 2009. He cracked the UPSC examination in his first attempt and joined as an IPS officer in Punjab.

“The job of a doctor is to alleviate the pain of the people. The police service also provides a similar platform, but on a relatively much bigger scale,” Singh, who worked as a rural medical officer for four months during the period between the interview and declaration of results by the UPSC, told The Indian Express.

The other two doctors-turned-IPS officers who are posted as SSPs are Dr Akhil Chaudhary (Nawanshahr) and Dr Sandeep Garg (Mohali).

Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan is currently posted as special DGP (Punjab Police Housing Corporation). “In both professions, it is the healing touch that matters as to how doctor attends a patient and how a police officer looks into complaints and grievances of the people. I have never let go my medical knowledge to waste,” said Dr Chauhan.

He completed his MBBS degree from Delhi University in 1992 and during the internship, he cleared the UPSC examination as well. Dr Chauhan was the topper both during his MBBS days and in the IPS batch of 1992.

“Despite being a gold medallist in medicine, I chose not to continue due to inadequate facilities in government hospitals. I avoided opening a private clinic to prevent any indirect encouragement of illness,” Dr Chauhan told The Indian Express. In fact, this was also his answer during the UPSC interview to a stock question for doctors as to “why did they waste an MBBS seat if they aspired to be in civil/police service”.

Chauhan, while combining his medical expertise with policing, went on to pursue a Ph.D in bio-terrorism. “My book on bio-terrorism not only showcased my expertise but also predicted a future event akin to Covid-19, emphasizing the importance of regulating biotech technology,” said Dr Chauhan whose contributions in the field of bio-terrorism were recognized at the Lyon conference where he was a special invitee.

In his role as a resource person for Interpol in bio-terrorism, Chauhan served as an instructor at the regional conference on bio-terrorism in Singapore in 2007, imparting training to senior police officers of various Asian countries.

2003-batch IPS officer Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill who is posted as the Inspector General (headquarters) completed his MBBS degree from Government Medical College, Amritsar in 2000. He cleared the UPSC exam in his second attempt in 2002. “After graduation, I developed interest in this stream. Since the horizon is broad in this service, as a police officer you can really contribute more for the society. Also, while otherwise, it takes years to reach a certain level, after clearing UPSC, you start from that level. As an IPS officer, you start heading a district in a couple of years. In other services, it takes up to 20, 25 or 30 years to reach that level.”

Speaking highly of police service, Gill said, “Career-wise, it is the best service in India.”

2017-batch Pragya Jain was a practising homeopathy doctor in Delhi before joining the police force as an IPS officer. She had a first go at UPSC exam in 2014 and eventually made it in 2017, without any coaching while continuing to practise as a doctor. “I have a message for the women who live in areas like Jammu and Kashmir, Fazilka, Arunachal Pradesh – away from the nerve centres – that if they stick to their dreams, they can make it to the UPSC without any coaching.”

2016-batch Dr Simrat Kaur was in the second year of MD (Gynaecology) when she got selected as an IPS officer. Graduating in MBBS from Government Medical College, Patiala, she made it to the IPS in her fifth attempt. “Doctors get confined to one section of the population. As a police officer, you get to interact with larger section of people. Also, it is good for personal growth and you can be inspiration for others as well.”

The MBBS/MD doctors turned IPS officers

Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan (1992–batch) – Special DGP (Punjab Police Housing Corporation)

Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill (2003-batch) – IG Headquarters

Dr Kaustabh Sharma (2001-batch) – – IG Human Rights (He did MD Medicine)

Dr S Boopathi (2007-batch) – DIG Jalandhar Range

Dr Nanak Singh (2011-batch) – Mansa SSP

Dr Sandeep Kumar Garg (2012-batch) – Mohali SSP

Dr Akhil Chaudhary (2012-batch)– SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr) SSP

Dr Ankur Gupta (2016-batch) – DCP Jalandhar

Dr Simrat Kaur (2016-batch) – AIG (Counter Intelligence) Patiala

Dr Mehtab Singh (2017-batch)– ADCP-I Ludhiana

Dr Darpan Ahluwalia (2020-batch) – ADCP-I Amritsar

Doctors who graduated in dental surgery (BDS) and joined as IPS officers

Dr Sachin Gupta (2014-batch)– AIG Provisioning BDS

Dr Ravjot Grewal (2015-batch) – Fatehgarh Sahib SSP

Dr Jyoti Yadav (2019-batch) – Mohali SP (Investigation)

Veterinary officers turned IPS officers

Dr Naresh Kumar Arora (1994-batch) – ADGP Human Rights

Dr Rahul S (2008-batch) – DIG-cum-Director Vigilance

Vineet Ahlawat (2021-batch) – Preparing for Indian Foreign Service (on leave)

BHMS and BAMS doctors who don IPS officer uniform

BAMS Dr Patil Ketan Baliram (2010-batch) – on central deputation since December 27, 2022

BHMS Dr Pragya Jain (2017-batch) – ADCP-III Amritsar

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