Life can either be misery or a miracle.
It’s up to us to appreciate the enchantment in our lives or hide behind the curtain of gloom. In a world where everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to do the work. This is a tale of a man who’s dedicated to making an impact and not making an income. IPS Ashok Kumar, DG (Law and Order) of Uttarakhand, who follows the principle of “Karma is worship”. A zealous IPS officer who has eradicated the name-o-mark of terrorism that was flourishing in the foothills of the Himalayas. He is the kind of person who is ready for justice, help, and protection at all times.
He has attained UN Medal for serving in strife-torn Kosovo in 2001, the Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2006, President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Services in 2013, GB Pant award for IT À GATA’ by BPR&D, MHA.
Ashok Kumar was born on 15 November 1963 in a small village ‘Kurana’ in the Panipat district of Haryana. He got his primary education from the government school in the village. Shortly after school, he worked up to scratch and qualified the Joint Entrance Exam and enrolled in IIT Delhi. From the parts of modern tools to living life in India, he realized that he didn’t want to bracket himself to just being an engineer. He wanted to pursue something that has more opportunities for service in which he can get a chance to help millions of people and that’s why he chose to go for civil services.
In the year 1993-94, as SP of Nainital, he systematically rooted out the terrorism that was spreading from the Terai region of Kumaon with the local people. He was also credited with eliminating the Mafia Raj emerging there as SSP of Haridwar between 2002-04.
When life tosses lemons at you, squeeze them!
While a DIG (headquarters) between 2004-07, he made many enhancements in the renovation of police stations, police lines, and stadiums in Uttarakhand. Earlier, Ashok Kumar was IG Garhwal and IG Kumaon, where changes in policing on humanitarian grounds are still discussed. He also served as Vigilance and Director of Intelligence and Security of the state, where he sowed the seed of a major campaign against corruption.
He has been IG (Administration) in BSF for three years, during which he did many constructive works for the welfare of the soldiers. Along with the new gallery of Wagah Border, he also got the erection of a new campus in Greater Noida, Mathura, Trivandrum, etc. under his leadership. He has been consolidating the Dehradun Marathon for the last three years for Road Safety, Women Safety, and Drugs Free India, which is attended by more than twenty thousand people.
In 2001, Ashok Kumar has also acknowledged with the United Nations Medal for service in conflict-ridden Kosovo. In 2006, he was bestowed with the Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Services and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service on the occasion of Republic Day 2013. He has also been awarded conferred with the prestigious “Outstanding Contribution to National Development” award by alumni of IIT Delhi. Ashok Kumar also occupies the leading position in the Fame India Magazine in the annual survey of 2020.
Apart from the man in uniform, he is also a writer of the bestselling book: Human in Khaki. For this, he has been given the Govind Ballabh Pant Award by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, MHA. The book was released in Marathi titled as “Khakiteel Manus” on 27th Oct 2012 at Rajghat, New Delhi. The English version of this book was released by Dr. Kiran Bedi, IPS at IIT Delhi Campus, since then the book has been released in Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi. The book is available in Hindi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, and Marathi. He has also written three other books titled “Challenges to Internal Security of India”, “Cracking Civil Services the Open Secret” and “Ethics for Civil Services”.
His other interests include Badminton, Tennis, Riding, and organizing sports events. He is also the President of Uttarakhand State Badminton Association. In the field of badminton, he has won many tournaments and has procured the First All India Police Badminton Championship where he was the 1st runner up in the open category. He is also president of the Uttarakhand State Badminton Association and Member of the Executive Body of Badminton Association of India (BAI). Other than Badminton, he is also an excellent rider and a Lawn Tennis player. He has organized many National level Badminton and Lawn Tennis tournaments.
Difficulties are for betterment. They stump, twirl, batter, and knock us down, but they also polish us. Ashok Kumar also walked a tight rope at work but he played his cards right and touched the heights of success. He fearlessly overcame every challenge life threw at him and maintained the sparkle like gems at the end of the course. Eventually, it’s all a matter of striking the right note. He is a true inspiration for the youth who want to dedicate their lives to civil services honestly.
