From Ayodhya to Saharanpur: IPS Officer Ashish Tiwari’s Technology-Driven Policing Model Earns National and Global Recognition
Ashish Tiwari is a 2012-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre and currently serves as the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Saharanpur. He is recognized as an officer who champions technology-driven, data-based, and citizen-centric policing models. Throughout his career, he has held leadership roles in several key districts, including Jhansi, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Etah, Jaunpur, Firozabad, and Ayodhya. In these districts, he placed special emphasis on strengthening community policing, public engagement, and digital administrative systems. His tenure as the police chief of Ayodhya was particularly noteworthy. During a period of sensitive and historic significance, he played a pivotal role in maintaining law and order, fostering trust among diverse communities, and ensuring peace. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, Ashish Tiwari has effectively implemented technological innovations in policing. Initiatives such as monitoring and curbing fake news, establishing tech-based mechanisms to trace missing children, and institutionalizing ‘SMART’ policing have directly impacted millions of citizens in Uttar Pradesh. He also spearheaded extensive public awareness campaigns against social crimes through women-led grassroots initiatives. These efforts not only fostered trust between the community and the police but also made crime prevention a more participatory process. His innovations and leadership capabilities have garnered international recognition. He was named among the global “40 Under 40” policing leaders by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Additionally, he has received numerous national awards for innovation in policing, digital transformation, and public service.
Ajit Kumar Doval: India’s ‘James Bond’ and Mastermind Behind Surgical Strikes & Balakot Operations
Ajit Kumar Doval currently serves as India’s National Security Advisor. He is widely regarded as India’s “James Bond” and the “Chanakya” of the modern era. Ajit Doval has held the position of National Security Advisor since May 30, 2014, making him the fifth individual to hold this office. Regarding his early life and education, Ajit Kumar Doval was born on January 20, 1945, in the village of Ghiri Banelsyun in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. His father, Major G.N. Doval, was also an officer in the Indian Army. He received his early education at the Ajmer Military School in Rajasthan and graduated with a degree in Economics from Agra University in 1967. In 1968, Doval cleared the Civil Services Examination and joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) under the Kerala cadre. Shortly after beginning his career, he was credited with single-handedly restoring peace—without the use of force—during the 1971 communal riots in Thalassery, Kerala, by engaging with local leaders. Subsequently, in 1972, Doval moved to the Intelligence Bureau, shifting his focus from traditional policing to covert operations and counter-terrorism. He played a pivotal role in quelling the insurgency led by the Mizo National Front and successfully reintegrated numerous insurgents into the mainstream. Furthermore, Doval spent several years working undercover, a period that included living clandestinely in Pakistan. During Operation Black Thunder in 1988, he infiltrated the Golden Temple in Amritsar disguised as a rickshaw puller; this operation helped gather critical intelligence that played an instrumental role in flushing out the terrorists. Additionally, in 1988, Doval became the first police officer to be awarded the Kirti Chakra, an honor recognizing his distinguished record of covert service. In 1999, Doval was one of the three negotiators involved in the talks for the release of passengers from the hijacked IC-814 aircraft in Kandahar. He was involved in resolving 15 aircraft hijackings involving Indian Airlines that occurred between 1971 and 1999. In January 2005, Ajit Doval retired from the post of Director of the Intelligence Bureau. Following his retirement, Doval was appointed as India’s fifth National Security Advisor on May 30, 2014. In July 2014, he ensured the safe return of 46 Indian nurses who were held captive in a hospital in Tikrit, Iraq. He is the longest-serving incumbent in this position and a powerful bureaucrat holding the rank of a Cabinet Minister. Strategic Achievements: He played a pivotal role in several major strategic and diplomatic initiatives, such as the 2016 ‘Surgical Strikes,’ the 2019 ‘Balakot Airstrikes,’ and the abrogation of the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir.