Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, the first woman Director General of Police of any state, on whose life the popular Hindi teleserial Udaan was based, retired from service on Wednesday. The Uttarakhand DGP is an IPS officer of the 1973 batch.Subhash Joshi, a 1976-batch IPS officer, has been appointed Uttarakhand DGP.“I am satisfied with what all I could do and will continue to work for justice for the weaker sections in society,” she told The Indian Express before leaving office. “I have done my best and tried to deliver. I am grateful for the huge opportunity that was given to me,” she added.Hailing from Amritsar in Punjab, Kanchan faced many problems initially, but remained determined to become a police officer. Later, her struggle was immortalised on the small screen by her younger sister Kavita Chaudhary. Kavita and their parents were present here on Wednesday as Kanchan relinquished office, marking the accomplishment of her dream. Her father Madan Mohan Chaudhary had come from Amritsar to be with his daughter on the occasion.As the first woman DGP of a state, Kanchan tried to fight the bias against women. It was due to her initiative that women home guards were given the responsibility of manning traffic points in cities. Asked about her achievements as DGP, she said: “I think I have impacted the way the police see the public and vice-versa. I have always stood by the weak.”She was presented a ceremonial guard of honour by the state police at a farewell parade.
