India’s first female director general of police, Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, died in Mumbai late on Monday night after a long illness. She was 72.
Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya was undergoing treatment in a Mumbai hospital since the last five to six months, said a statement released by state police headquarters after her death.
Born in Himachal Pradesh, she was country’s second female Indian Police Service (IPS) officer after Kiran Bedi. Bhattacharya, a 1973 batch IPS officer, made history when she was appointed the DGP of Uttarakhand in 2004. She retired as the DGP on October 31, 2007.
During her 33 years of service, she also served as an inspector general in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). In 1997, she was awarded the President’s police medal for distinguished service. She was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi award for Excellent All-Round Performance. She was chosen to represent India during the Interpol meeting held in Mexico in 2004.
She also handled some sensitive cases including the murder of badminton national champion Syed Modi and the Reliance-Bombay Dyeing case.
She also made a guest appearance on the hit television series Udaan on Doordarshan, directed by her sister Kavita Chaudhary. It was based on her life showing her struggles to become an IPS officer.
“She was a simple and sweet-natured person who gave us a free hand while we worked under her when she was the DGP,” Uttarakhand director general of police Ashok Kumar said.
“She would be cremated in Mumbai only. The department would offer tributes to her at an event in police headquarters on Tuesday evening,” he added.
She is survived by her husband and two daughters, who live in Mumbai.
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