New Delhi: Former IPS officer and Uttar Pradesh minister Asim Arun has shared the story of state’s first woman Special Police Operations Team (SPOT) commando, Priyanka Panwar. He shared Priyanka’s photo in commando dress and mentioned the entire story of her achieving the feat and finally opening the doors to this area for other women officers as well.
The minister recalled how he was told about a single woman applicant for SPOT while he was the heading the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS).
मिलिए प्रियंका पंवार से जो उत्तर प्रदेश पुलिस ATS की स्पेशल पुलिस ऑपरेशंस टीम (SPOT) की कमांडो हैं
इनके कमांडो बनने की कहानी भी दिलचस्प है…
जब योगी जी ने मुझे एटीएस चीफ के रूप में SPOT के गठन का आदेश दिया, तब समस्त पुलिस व PAC से इच्छुक नाम मांगे गए … कई पुरुष पुलिसकर्मी… pic.twitter.com/gOJGcptin5
— Asim Arun (@asim_arun) January 25, 2024
“Meet Priyanka Panwar, a commando of the Special Police Operations Team (SPOT) of Uttar Pradesh Police ATS. The story of his becoming a commando is also interesting…When Yogi ji ordered me to form SPOT as ATS Chief, then interested names were sought from all the police and PAC… Many male policemen used to come and take the test, it was a difficult test, only a few were able to pass,” he said in a post on X.
“One day the Inspector of SPOT told me that a girl has also come to appear for the exam, what to do?” the minister stated.
Arun said he asked the officer to call the girl in and then he met Priyanka for the first time. “…then Priyanka appeared in front of me for the first time…said sir, I will also become a commando, I am a wrestling player. The girl had enthusiasm and sports fitness,” the post further read.
The former officer said he realised it was a mistake to not include the provision of women police officers to apply for SPOT.
“I felt that I had made a big mistake, we had not included the provision of women police officers in the applications that we had asked for. We corrected the mistake, took Priyanka’s test. Apparently, Priyanka got selected and attended the SPOT training,” the minister shared.
He said that Priyanka performed very well, and many other women took inspiration from her, joined the SPOT team, and participated in dangerous operations.
“And whether it is a matter of risk taking or efficiency, Mhari chhoriyan kisi se kam hai ke (my girls are not less than anyone else)”, the minister concluded.
ABOUT SPOT
The Special Police Operations Team (SPOT) was raised by the UP ATS in 2017 for intelligence gathering and to carry out anti-terror and anti-Naxal operations.
Members of the SPOT have been imparted special training and are equipped with weapons and ultra-modern technologies. Currently, it has as many as five teams, which are located at different strategic locations in various districts of Uttar Pradesh.