Pune News: Shoba Ohatker, who hit national headlines when she chargesheeted as many as 15 MLAs and MPs during her 15-year tenure as superintendent of police (SP) at different places in Bihar, became the first woman to hold the post of additional commissioner of police in the city last month. Known as a strict disciplinarian, Ohatker took over the administrative branch of the city police and decided to streamline issues pertaining to police hospital, pensions, etc, on a priority basis. "A person, who is about to retire, should not be asked to run from one table to another to clear his pension. All his/her work can be executed from a single table if so desired," she said.

Ohatker is keen on changing the administration of local police stations. "When the aggrieved people come to the police station, officers can at least offer a glass of water and a chair. These gestures can solve half of the problems," she said while speaking to TOI.

"Poor people often remain neglected at the police stations when their complaints must be given priority. I am going to take up the issue," she said.

Apart from administrative reforms, she has planned a training course for police personnel on Juvenile Justice Act and trafficking of women. "There is a strong need to sensitise police personnel in these areas."

An IPS officer of the 1990 batch, Ohatker was born in Pune and has done her MA in politics from Hyderabad. "I wanted to become a pilot, but my father (a former central excise commissioner) wanted me to join any service that will get me a uniform," she recalled adding that she worked hard to accomplish her father's dream.

"The service has changed my personality and made me far more understanding. When you understand problems of the people, they all start relating directly to you," said the 39-year-old cop.

As superintendent of police, Patna, she first busted a racket on spurious goods and later send top goons on the run when she arrested 400 men working as 'coal mafia'. At Deoghar, she gunned down two notorious criminals in 1995.

"The government transferred me to Darbhanga, where a spate of kidnapping cases were reported. I arrested members of 13 gangs, some were even linked to politicians. The kidnapping incidents came to an end within eight months," she said.

When asked how she handled the powerful politicians in Bihar, she said she never feared regular or immediate transfer. "I always followed the law and, as a result, sometimes I was transferred from one district to another in just three months," she said. "But it created an impression and then the politicians stopped interfering in my work."

"I refused to compromise," said Ohatker who had became a household name in Bihar.

Married to IAS officer C.K. Anil, Ohatker has two children. "I feel contented as I have put maximum hard work into my service and I want to continue the good work here in Pune," she said.

by http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com