The chat room: Shenoy disappointed those who stood by her'

Deputy Superintendent of police Anupama Shenoy caused a mighty stir last week, by resigning her job without warning and going incommunicado. Her run-in with the liquor mafia shows courage, yes, but doesn't change need more than a single act of rebellion? DIG of Police Sonia Narang was at the receiving end of much political harassment as she brought down the corrupt Lokayukta Bhaskar Rao, but stuck with the fight anyway. In this week’s Chat Room, Shweta Singh chats with Dr D. Roopa, senior police officer and Additional Mission Director, SAKALA about being a woman in a position of power and the perils of asserting oneself.

Dr D. Roopa is well-known for her forthrightness and has had her share of struggles during her time in the force, which is admittedly still male-dominated. Even so, she seems befuddled by the Shenoy affair. “Any untoward incident in any place is primarily the responsibility of the station house officer of that police station and Superintendent of Police of the district. How the entire pressure rested on the DySP is beyond me.”

I broke into her train of thought, asking the big question – is Anupama in the right? “Standing up against wrongdoing is admirable,” Roopa remarked. “I admire her courage, but she should have brought the matter to the notice of her higher-ups. Taking to social media to fan the flame doesn’t make her look too good either.” Roopa believes that a leader is one who inspires – Shenoy might have had traces of that potential, but there is no excuse, Roopa insists, for stepping outside the immediate purview of the law.  “People need inspiration,” she said, referring to Shenoy controversy. “They will follow someone who is strong enough to break the shackles that hold them down and stand up for what they believe is right. Still, Shenoy should have made her reasons public and followed the protocol of the force.”

Roopa pauses for a moment at this juncture, going on to say that these struggles are simply part of the deal for an honest officer. “If the officer feels that the instructions given by their seniors are not quite okay, it’s okay to write a notesheet in the file expressing one’s reservations.”  Shenoy’s actions, she said, can be misinterpreted. “She had the backing of the media and the public. But she should have spoken to the government.”

The matter of the resignation doesn’t go down too well with Roopa either, who is clearly a stickler for protocol. “Resigning from the department is not the solution. She showed the courage to stand up and fight, why didn’t she see it through? By doing this, she has lost an opportunity to serve the public, which is a rare one to get in the first place.”

Shenoy, Roopa believes, is only spoiling her chances of remaining with the force. “The government has tried to make contact with her, but she was untraceable. They wanted her to stay in office, but she chose to walk away, instead of engaging in a discussion.”

Taking the oath as an officer of the law implies great struggles against great odds. The strength of an officer lies in his or her ability to stay on and fight, no matter how hard things get. “She should address the government and discuss the cause of her resignation,” Roopa remarked, adding with a smile, “Why should we made it so easy for corrupt politicians to write off an honest officer? Stand there like a wall and fight to the end. At this rate, she will also disappoint the hundreds of people who stood by her.”

As our chat neared an end, Roopa said, thoughtfully, “People need heroes. They need inspiration to stand up for what is right. One must remain within the system to change it.”

(*Anupama Shenoy’s resignation was accepted by Chief Minister Siddaramiah on Thursday)