ACP Surinder Jeet Kaur of Delhi Police, a tough investigator who made immense sacrifices to don khakhi
Ujjawala Nayudu
New Delhi, March 18
This woman officer of Delhi Police proudly dons the khakhi uniform every day, undeterred from all challenges in her life and springs to action every time a citizen, specially a woman needs her. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Surinder Jeet Kaur is an example of a strength and determination.
Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava awarded ACP Surinder Jeet for her exemplary work in managing the Covid 19 cell of police on International Women’s Day. ACP Surinder Jeet (58) currently heads the CAW (crime against women) Cell (South East).
Surinder Jeet headed a team of over 25 police personnel that supervised the movements of attendees at the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering in 2020 where hundreds of followers had gathered for the event.
Sitting with her 90-year-old father at her residence, ACP Surinder Jeet said, “I was assigned to supervise the team. The attendees had come from 28 countries and I had to see their stay, travel to home countries, states, isolate those infected, write letters to respective collectors and SPs while ensuring those attendees reach back. We had to ensure the infection did not spread among other persons”.
ACP Surinder Jeet herself contracted Covid 19 in May 2020 and within two days of her admission to the hospital, her husband Charanjeet Singh who was a Chartered Accountant, contracted the virus which took his life.
Her husband battled for 26 days on the ventilator support while ACP Surinder Jeet continued working on pandemic prevention and law enforcement.
She said, “I have been a devotee of Gurudwara and always asked for strength and protection from my Gurus. On June 15 too I was going to the Gurudwara when I received a call from the hospital that my husband is no more. The world came crashing down. I kept monitoring him every minute and ensured everything that he recoups but he left”.
The loss was not enough for ACP Surinder Jeet that she had to also cremate her husband herself as her son who lives in Canada couldn’t get permission to travel. The officer battled her personal loss, her son’s health and resumed her work within six months of the incident.
She credits her strength to an upbringing in a policeman’s family. Her father is a retired police constable.
She said, “My father was police constable and watching him made me decide to become a police officer. I come from an era where family laid immense restrictions of girls. I had barely finished my 10thgrade when family started pressurizing for marriage. I was made to leave studies after 12thgrade. I graduated through distance learning and further did a course on office management. The family insisted that I should become a stenographer”
“However, I was inspired by Kiran Bediji and I pursued my dreams. I applied in SSC for Sub Inspector and got through. I still remember when my parents were out of town, I quietly went and joined the Delhi Police training”.
When ACP Surinder Jeet was under training as Sub Inspector (1985 batch), one incident made her take an oath to take up bold investigations. She said “We were the first batch to undergo training with boys. Some boys commented that girls join police force, take salary and mostly do household chores. That comment hurt me and I decided that I will show how women are meant for hardcore policing”.
She topped her batch, bagged her first award as the Best Cadet and later became the first woman appointed as chowky in charge.
And so ACP Surinder Jeet ensured she shows her metel. After getting promoted as an Inspector in 1994, she took up many bold investigations and one being the rescue of 200 girls and 90 child labourers at a factory. She rose to fame for her rescue of sex workers of GB Road who were from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Nepal and Bihar.
Reminiscing the investigation, she said, “People know me for that investigation. However my real earning is those girls still call and speak with me. One girl from West Bengal has placed my photo in her temple near Mata’s photo. One of the rescues started her own NGO which I named as ‘Mukti Foundation’ with her husband. I got five of them married and they are now settled in their lives”.
ACP Surinder Jeet during her postings at key police stations-Kamla Market, Lajpatnagar, Chanakyapuri, Lodhi Colony managed many high profile incidents from Baba Ramdev’s protest to Anna Hazare’s fast, Jat Andolan to Common Wealth Games.
She was promoted as an ACP in 2014 and handed over CAW to head. As CAW official, she had trained over 25000 girls in self defence and deals with abuse, sexual harassment, domestic violence and women crimes every day. She is also serving as special executive magistrate.
Her relentless work, sacrifices and resolve are a learning for young girls who join police. She said, “My key advice is to strike a balance between policing and family. Be physically fit and ready to learn being independent- learn vehicle driving, defence techniques, technology and skills to investigate. I can drive anything from a cycle to Delhi Police truck if required. If you have knowledge of your work and are thoroughly trained, you will earn respect. If you earn respect, no superiors will ever question you but for that be honest in your conduct”.
ACP Surinder Jeet has been a recipient of President’s Medal, Delhi Women Commission Award, Police Station First Award, Jijabai Award, Khalsa College Award, Rescue Foundation Award and Shakti Vahini Award and also an international recognition through “You Can Free” award from USA.
The citizens in Delhi know ACP Surinder Jeet Kaur as a rescue cop but very know a simple woman of Gurdaspur who has secretly worked for many women in distress. She set an example of good policing in Delhi Police which also made her husband proud!
She said, “He was always very happy with my work. There were days I couldn’t go home for two weeks at a stretch, he managed everything. His love for me and my work was eternal. His love is giving me strength to play a father too for my son”.
Her husband Charanjeet Singh loves to hear Surinder Jeet sing retro. His favourite was,“Lag ja gale… shayad fir janam mein mulakat ho na ho”which she hums even today remembering him. As she marks one year of his death, she has decided to work even more for the betterment of women.
