From First Female Police Officer Of Maharashtra To Investigator With Indian Central Bureau

INDIA. Maharashtra. Dr. Meeran Borwankar became the female Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Maharashtra and went on to become a police chief, an investigator with the central bureau, and a best-selling author.

Born and raised in Punjab, Borwankar told Transcontinental Times, “My mother is the reason that [I and my siblings] did very well in our lives. However, our ambitions can be attributed to our father.” She believes that educated and interested parents are the best blessing for children.

Woman IPS of Maharashtra

Borwankar hadn’t decided on a career, but when her sister earned a job with the civil service, she thought it was a great option. She passed her (IPS) exams with flying colours and got selected to serve for the Maharashtra Police. She was the only female police officer in 1981. Initially, the other officers weren’t comfortable with her presence, but once she proved that she meant business, they started to accept her. Neither her fellow officers nor political leaders were comfortable with the idea of a woman leading a district police force, but excellent performance made everyone believe in her. She then lead the Crime Branch of Mumbai and served as the Commissioner of Pune police. Borwankar has been a part of many high profile cases: the terrorist Ajmal Kasab, and Yakub Menon among others. Her experience of handling women and child trafficking was shown in Rani Mukherjee’s Bollywood movie Mardaani.

Position at Central Bureau of Investigation exposes corruption

Till 1999, Borwankar worked for the central government in Mumbai. Her tenure with CBI gave her national exposure where she saw corruption in high places, but that investigating agencies are handicapped as there is no political will against corruption.

Commitment to Women’s Empowerment

Borwankar believes that the world will turn out to be a much more peaceful and meaningful place if women are allowed to live their lives in freedom. She said, “Women should have the freedom of choosing their paths. If a woman wants to adjust for her family, she should be allowed to do so. If she wants to take up a challenging assignment, she should be allowed to do it without any guilt.”

Publishes inspirational book

Due to a departure from her boss’s way of thinking, Borwankar took a one year leave from the police force. She decided to enroll in law school. During this period of time, she also wrote a book: Leaves of Life. Each chapter is based on a true episode from her personal and professional life. She said, “I decided to write this book because I thought that what I had learned through trials and errors may help others to avoid some of the painful errors.” The book was widely appreciated and got a tremendous response.

Meeran believes that everyone must dream big. Instead of following someone else’s footsteps, they should choose their paths according to their own interests. However, she emphasizes that in order to succeed, one must be willing to listen to those who are older and have more experience. She said, “I believe that students should also be a part of various activities and volunteering [to] help them to broaden their horizons.”  She believes that self-discipline and balance in life can take you a long way.