For Malika Garg, every day is Women’s Day

VIJAYAWADA: Mother, daughter, wife and a public servant, Superintendent of Police Malika Garg, the second woman SP of Prakasam district after Charu Sinha in 2003, has been receiving recognition for her work and public outreach programmes in the district. 

Malika Garg has often been described as an official who leaves a lasting impression. Dashing, venturesome are some other words that have become synonymous with her character and working style.

In a freewheeling chat with The New Indian Express, Malika Garg elaborates on the measures she has taken to ensure safety for women, maintain law and order and prevent road accident fatalities through the initiative 'No Accident Day'.

The 2015-batch IPS officer, who was posted to Andhra Pradesh after her inter-cadre transfer from West Bengal, took charge as Prakasam SP in July, 2021 after serving as Additional SP of Krishna district for a brief period. She said her time as ASP helped her understand the State and the initiatives being implemented by the police department in a better way.

"For us every day is women's day. But today is special as our efforts are being talked about. I perform my duty as an individual and a police officer rather than a female cop. Work is independent of gender, but a woman’s special trait is to maintain balance between work and home," Malika Garg said.

Speaking of her experience in West Bengal, Garg recalled that the initial days of her career were challenging. Her first posting was as the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for Chandannagar, Seerampur and deputy commandant for Rapid Action Force (RAF) in Paschim Burdwan.

Referring to the work being done under the Disha initiatives, the SP said Prakasam police were able to record 70,000 new registrations of the Disha SOS mobile app in just one month, which is a first of its kind record. 

Explaining how she was able to gain people's trust especially in the rural areas, SP Garg said, "Cracking tough cases like the double murder case in Tanguturu town, counselling rowdy-sheeters, taking women's safety initiatives to their doorsteps and focusing on regular policing helped us gain the trust of public. We are welcoming the women to open up about the atrocities so that we can render justice."

SP Garg also said that their efforts in creating awareness among girls and women in rural areas on their rights resulted in more number of cases being registered. Speaking of some other initiatives that were taken by the police department, Garg said, "We have achieved a 27 per cent drop in road mishap fatalities in the past eight months, thanks to 'No Accident Day'".

Stating that the people of Prakasam are supportive, she added that their initiatives were receiving positive responses from the public.Prakasam police have also launched Disha lucky draw contest which has become a hit among Mahila Police. 

Appreciating the Mahila Police, the SP said, "We started felicitating three Mahila Police every week for their work on the ground. They are playing a key role in bringing the vulnerable sections of the society close to the department."

In the past few years, the percentage of women joining the police force has significantly gone up, she added.