You must have heard about several duty-bound IPS officers, but today we are going to introduce you to an officer, Karuna Sagar, who is duty-bound as well as a philanthropist – who likes to help needy people. Hailing from Bihar, Mr Karuna Sagar is an IPS officer (1991-batch) of Tamil Nadu cadre, presently posted as Director – Modernisation, Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi.
Present role: Modernizing Indian Police || As the Director of Modernization, Mr Sagar has the responsibility of ensuring the implementation of modern technology in the Indian Police Forces.
On being asked how modern the Indian police is in contrast to 2022, Mr Sagar said, “The Police force is modern now. We, at Modernization, are trying our best to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra ‘SMART’ in which T stands for ‘Techno savvy and Trained’ police.”
Mr Sagar also talked about the growing cyber frauds and said, “The Union Government is concerned about it. Different initiatives are being run to educate the public. The MHA has a department called i4C (Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre). The victim can get their cybercrime complaint
registered through the helpline number. The department works on a real-time basis.” For his work at BPR&D, Mr Sagar got the DG’s commendation disk.
Service to the people || For the people of Jehanabad and Arwal districts of Bihar, Mr Sagar is a messiah. Be it flood, Covid-induced lockdown, he is always ready to lend a helping hand to society. When the people were gasping for oxygen at hospitals during the second wave of Covid in India, Mr Sagar reached out to the hospitals with oxygen concentrators, portable x-ray machines and pulse oximeters.
Also during the lockdown, he helped in distributing blankets and other essential items to beggars and homeless people. For the noble work he did in the Jehanabad and Arwal districts during the lockdown, Mr Sagar was awarded the prestigious Bharat Gaurav Award 2019.
Mr Sagar said that “I always try to help needy people, irrespective of caste and gender. The law is for the poor and it is made to help needy people and not for making the rich happy.”
Early education || Mr Sagar hails from the Patna district of Dhanarua. The district was hit by Naxalites. People had expectations from the police officer. This motivated Mr Sagar to be an IPS officer. He believed that police service is a solution to eradicate such acts of violence.
Mr Sagar completed his primary schooling in his village and secondary education at Loyola School, Patna. After completing his schooling, he migrated to Delhi to complete his graduation and post-graduation in history.
Mr Sagar became a lecturer. But, he quit the lectureship to be a civil servant. After clearing UPSC, he was allocated Tamil Nadu Cadre, where he served for 27 years.
Hobbies || Mr Sagar said that he likes collecting books. “I have a good collection of books. I like to read biographies, autobiographies,” he said.
Family Support || Behind every successful man, there is a strong woman. Mr Sagar said, “In a police officer’s life, family plays an important role. My wife, Anju, has always supported me.”
She has her own company which is based in Chennai.
Message to the youth || Mr Sagar says UPSC is the best career choice for the youth. “You can help people on a large scale. You can be the voice of the downtrodden. No service can give you the satisfaction as the UPSC gives,” he said with utmost satisfaction.
