Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, born in Himachal Pradesh, was the country’s second female IPS Officer (1973–2007) and served as the Director General of Police (DGP) for Uttarakhand. She was also briefly active in politics, contesting the 2014 Indian general election from Haridwar, Uttarakhand, as an Aam Aadmi Party candidate. Notably, she was the first woman to become a state Director General of Police and retired from service on October 31, 2007.
Regarding her education, she completed her early studies at Government Girls’ College, Amritsar. Later, she pursued postgraduate studies in English Literature at the University of Delhi, followed by a master’s degree from the University of New South Wales in Australia.
She possessed 33 years of extensive and remarkable professional experience. She was the first woman to serve as a state Director General of Police (DGP), having held this position in Uttarakhand.
She was the second woman to join the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1973 and became the first female IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
In 2004, she was selected to represent India at the Interpol meeting held in Cancún, Mexico—a significant achievement in her career.
Throughout her career, she completed various specialized training programs and courses. These included training in Human Resource Management at NITIE, Mumbai; a program on Economic Crime Investigation Management in Singapore; and an Advanced Management Program at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad.
As the President of the All India Women Police Organization, she successfully organized the second Women Police Conference, an event that was also commended by the President of India.
She was selected for the post of DGP from among many senior officers due to her integrity, impartiality, and sensitivity toward the issues faced by the general public.
On behalf of the Bureau of Police Research and Development, she raised critical issues—such as the recruitment and training of women in the police force—at the annual conference of Directors General of Police.
Beyond her professional life, she had several hobbies; she enjoyed writing poetry and participating in plays. She also played a guest role in the TV serial “Udaan.” This serial was inspired by her life, and its writer and director was her sister, Kavita Chaudhary.
Awards
- President’s Medal for Long and Meritorious Service (1989)
- President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (1997)
- Rajiv Gandhi Award for outstanding performance across fields and as an outstanding female recipient (2004)