First woman IPS to head paramilitary - Fusion - WeRIndia

Generally Indian Paramilitary forces are headed by men officers. This has been the tradition so far in India for more than 60 years.

But, this woman IPS officer created history by breaking the tradition. She became the first woman head to lead paramilitary forces in the country.

She is Archana Ramasundaram. She has taken charge as the Director General, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). SSB protects the 1,751-km Indo-Nepal and 699-km Indo-Bhutan borders.

As a Chief, she has to provide security for people living in the border areas and also control trans-border crimes.

Archana was the only woman in her batch when she joined the Hyderabad Police Academy. She was nervous at that time. But, from that stage she has become a leader for women officers as well as the first woman to head the paramilitary forces including CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and the SSB.

Born in a middle-class family in Uttar Pradesh, she was encouraged by her father a lot to pursue her education and choosing an unusual profession.

She said that education was a dream for girls in her childhood. But, her father’s support inspired her to choose a different profession.

She wanted to become an IAS or IPS officer and she was an all-rounder since her childhood.

Before clearing her Union Public Service Commission exam, she worked as a lecturer for a short period.

She struggled a lot for managing her work and preparing for competitive exams. Yet, she succeeded in clearing the exam, after which she was appointed as an IPS officer in the Tamil Nadu Cadre.

At that time, Tamil language was a big challenge for her which she had overcome by training and preparation in the state language exams.

Despite her profession, she has a soft-spoken personality. Yet, her personality has never been a barrier in her performance.

She also served in various positions at the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Image Reference: Thebetterindia