First woman SSB chief dedicates her feat to the country’s women | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

First woman SSB chief dedicates her feat to the country’s women

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
Feb 04, 2016 12:46 AM IST

Archana Ramasundaram is not just another SSB chief. She has broken the glass ceiling to become the first woman IPS officer to head any central police force.

As she was driven down the 50-metre stretch from her previous office to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) headquarters to take charge of the border guarding force on Wednesday, Archana Ramasundaram realised that she was going to make history.

Archana Ramasundaram inspects a guard of honour on her arrival to take charge as SSB chief in New Delhi on Wednesday.(PTI)
Archana Ramasundaram inspects a guard of honour on her arrival to take charge as SSB chief in New Delhi on Wednesday.(PTI)

Ramasundaram is not just another SSB chief. She has broken the glass ceiling to become the first woman IPS officer to head any central police force. And there lies a big message for women elsewhere.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

“If I being a middle-class woman can reach here, it will not be difficult for anyone. Everybody has dreams, they just need an opportunity,” the affable but usually-reticent Archana Ramasundaram nee Mishra said, dedicating her achievement to “the women of India”.

After another round of official briefing on the deployment of the force along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders that the SSB guards, Ramasundaram suggested there was a mindset against women back in the eighties when she got into the IPS. But she added this attitude was on the wane. It wasn’t the IPS — but like most civil service aspirants, the IAS — that was her first choice. The IPS came next.

“I was prepared for it... and my father, a judicial officer in Rajasthan, completely supported the decision,” Ramasundaram — who grew up in Jaipur where her father was posted — said.

“You had to ask for a field posting when your male colleagues did not,” Ramasundaram, who married an IAS officer S Ramasundaram, said. “I do not find any difficulty in women taking on important roles in core policing jobs. What matters is basically your capacity to handle a particular task. I don’t think that gender really matters much,” the officer — who had decided to speak on her appointment only after she took charge — said.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Aloke Tikku has covered internal security, transparency and politics for Hindustan Times. He has a keen interest in legal affairs and dabbles in data journalism.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On