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Who Is Navniet Sekera: The Dashing And Daring IPS Officer Who Inspired Popular Web Series `Bhaukaal`?
The success and achievements of 1996 batch IPS Navniet Sekera continue to inspire future UPSC aspirants to become responsible and sensitive police officers.
NEW DELHI: Navniet Sekera is one of the most decorated Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the country today. This dashing and daring encounter specialist is also known as a ‘Supercop’ in UP police circles. Not many of us know that the hugely popular web series Bhaukaal, which aired on MX Player, was inspired by the real-life events of IPS Navniet Sekera.
Current Profile
Navniet Sekera, a 1996-batch IPS officer, is currently posted as the Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police in Lucknow. In UP police circles, he is known as a fearless cop who has never bowed down to the muscle and money power while performing his duties as an IPS officer. The courage with which he has taken on notorious ‘Bahubalis’ and dreaded criminals has earned him a sobriquet of a supercop.
Early Life
Born on October 22, 1971, Navniet Sekera went to the All-Boys School in Etah in Firozabad District in UP. Due to his hard work and perseverance, he managed to clear the prestigious IIT exam to pursue B.Tech in Computer Science Engineering from IIT Roorkee. After graduating in 1993, Sekera applied for the M.Tech program at IIT Delhi but an event changed his life forever.
What Changed His Life?
An unpleasant event that occurred soon after Sekera graduated from the IIT Roorkee, made a deep impact on him and changed his thought process entirely. Sekera’s father, a low-income farmer, was receiving threats from powerful local criminals after which he went to a police station to register a complaint against them. Sekera also accompanied his father to the police station; however, he was shocked and deeply hurt by the insensitive attitude of the local police officer who made fun of them and shooed them away from the police station. Hurt by the incident, Sekera spent several sleepless nights after that. It was during that period that Sekera decided to leave everything and prepare for the UPSC exam with the sole aim of becoming an IPS officer. He strongly believed that a complete overhaul of the policing system was needed to make it more efficient and sensitive towards the problems and miseries of the common people.
Dream Come True
Through sheer hard work and dedication to his goal, Sekera fulfilled his dream of becoming an IPS Officer after clearing the UPSC exam in his very first attempt. Interestingly, he qualified for IAS, but since he was determined to join the police services, he opted for the IPS cadre. He completed his training at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) in Hyderabad with flying colours in 1996.
Career As A Police Officer
After completing his training, Sekera was posted as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Gorakhpur. He was transferred to Meerut as the ASP in December 1998. During those times, organised crime was at its peak in some areas in Uttar Pradesh. Due to the lack of police action and political patronage, local criminals and mafias were wreaking havoc in the state. However, things began to change after the entry of Sekera who led a massive crackdown against these dreaded criminals by either eliminating them in countless encounters or putting them behind bars. Despite facing several odds and political pressure, he never fell short of fulfilling his duties as a responsible police officer and succeeded in restoring the people’s trust in the police machinery.
It is very rare for police officers to witness such popularity which Sekera enjoyed during his posting in Meerut where posters requesting the authorities to cancel his transfer were posted across the city.
Career Highlights
In 2001, Sekera was promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP). After serving for 11 years as the Superintendent of Police, he was promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in 2012. Within a short span of 2 years, he took over as the Inspector General of Police (IG) of Women Power Line, UP, in 2014. He is currently posted serving as the Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police in Lucknow.
A bright student from the beginning and an avid reader, he fulfilled his dream of pursuing higher education and cleared the GMAT exam to get admission to the prestigious Indian School of Business. He completed his MBA in Finance, Strategy and Leadership. An inspiration for millions of educated Indian youths, Sekera is surely a jewel in the crown of the Indian Police System. Let’s hope that the success and achievements of IPS Navniet Sekera continue to inspire future UPSC aspirants to become responsible and sensitive police officers in the days to come.