Dadwal to pen memoirs

Outgoing Delhi Police Commissioner plans to write a tell-all book

Outgoing Delhi Police Commissioner plans to write a tell-all book

It was his last day in office as the Commissioner of Delhi Police and Yudhbir Singh Dadwal was at his gracious best. The outgoing top cop was seen mixing well with the media and not feeling shy over getting himself clicked with them while nibbling the refreshments.



Dadwal, credited with the peaceful conduct of the Commonwealth Games, has a book on his mind which he plans to pen after hanging his police boots.

He had taken over as the Delhi Commissioner of Police in 2007 and will now be heading the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) - a paramilitary force tasked with guarding India's borders with Nepal and Bhutan.u00a0BK Gupta, his successor, is a 1975-batch IPS officer who is currently director general of Tihar Jail in the capital.

Dadwal further said that it is only after his stint with SSB that he will think of writing a book on his experiences. "There have been instances which are worth jotting down and I will certainly consider that in the coming days," Dadwal stated.u00a0

Dadwal described the conduct of Commonwealth Games as his "biggest test" during his stint as Delhi police chief. "Around 40 venues had to be secured, transportation and accommodation of 200 companies of paramilitary force had to be arranged, and there were several other bigger challenges that had to be met. All the measures at the end were implemented seamlessly.

It was quite an achievement for us," Dadwal said at a farewell party at GO's mess. He said security forces had undergone specialized training for the Commonwealth Games 2010, an education that will be a legacy for times to come.

"Our security matrix for the event is among the very best in the world. We expect to grow and evolve from here to push the crime rate further down," Dadwal said.

"Crime rates in my tenure have fallen to their lowest in the past 40 years. This is the result of a constantly growing trust between police and the public. As long as the people and police realize their responsibilities, Delhi will continue to remain safe for everyone," he said.

Right man for the job?
YS Dadwal was named the new Commissioner of Delhi Police on July 25, 2007, an appointment that sparked instant controversy with super cop Kiran Bedi crying foul.

The order was signed by Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna after the 1974 batch IPS officer's name was cleared by the Union Home Ministry to succeed K K Paul, who joined the UPSC as a member. Before taking over as the top cop, Dadwal was posted as Special Commissioner (Administration) in the Delhi Police.

The name of Bedi, the country's first woman IPS officer, was sent to the Prime Minister's Office along with that of Dadwal. However, she has been out of active policing for long and it was understood to have gone against her.u00a0 But the appointment had left Bedi, who was in the race for the top job till the last minute, furious. She termed it "blatantly unfair" and vowed to fight the "injustice" done to her. Bedi said she did not understand the hurry in installing Dadwal as the Delhi Police chief by "jumping seniority".

"Dadwal has some time with him. I am left with two years while he has four-five years. I could have finished my tenure and he could have taken over then. I don't understand this impatience," she said.

Only Regret

Noting that he was leaving with no regrets, Dadwal, a 1974-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, said he would have liked to crack the September 19 Jama Masjid case - which occurred a few days before the arrival of athletes and officials for the Oct 3-14 Games. Dadwal said the growing size of Delhi's population posed a huge challenge for the security agencies, which had limited resources.