Punjab Police’s women officers are emerging as a decisive force on the frontlines of modern policing, leading key operations and strengthening the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government’s sustained push towards a crime and gangster-free Punjab. From supervising high-impact anti-gangster crackdowns to driving community-focused initiatives, these officers are not only dismantling criminal networks but also redefining leadership within the force.
The growing presence of women in leadership roles has placed Punjab Police among the country’s most progressive forces, with women officers supervising major operations such as Gangstran Te Vaar and Operation Parhaar. These officers are not only protecting the state from crime but also inspiring a new generation of young women to join the force.
At present, with the support of the Punjab Government, as many as 79 women officers are performing duties at various posts ranging from Special Director General of Police to Deputy Superintendent of Police. As per Punjab Police records, the forces consist of 4 DGPs, 1 ADGP, 2 IGP/CP, 2 DIGs, 18 SSPs/AIG/Commandant (03 being SSPs), 23 SP, 1 ASP and 28 DSPs: all female police officers. Out of the 79, as many as five officers are heading the field positions, which mandates their supervision and participation in various operations including ‘Gangstran te Vaar’. While these officers run shoulder-to-shoulder for tackling the crime, their families and team members feel proud of them.
Joining the force with strong academic and training credentials, women officers have quickly established themselves as capable leaders across operational and administrative roles.
It’s no secret that Punjab Police female officers have raised the standards of policing. Not only on the field, but these officers are well trained in technology, well aware about curbing crime in the state and very clear in achieving their aim of making Punjab as one of the safest states of the nation.
SSP Faridkot Pragya Jain underlined that modern policing is defined by competence and coordination rather than gender, highlighting how women officers are contributing at every level of operations. “I firmly believe policing is about competence, courage and commitment not gender. In operations like ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’, women officers have demonstrated all three. Anti-gangster drives involving coordinated crackdowns show that modern policing is intelligence-driven and team-led.”
The SSP Faridkot said, “Women officers lead from the front at planning and execution stages. In a specific instance, during a late-night operation targeting a habitual offender network, our lady PCR team secured local intelligence from women in the locality, something male teams often struggle with. That input directly led to arrests the next morning.”
Detailing the operational challenges, she added, “We resort to evidence-based questioning and stay calm under psychological pressure thereby resulting in success stories. Challenges are information asymmetry and time-sensitivity. Policing today requires diversity in leadership styles. Mainstreaming women officers, training them and deploying them across operational roles reflects institutional maturity.”
The Faridkot SSP asserted, “Policing is ultimately about service and accountability. Whether man or woman, every officer in uniform carries the same responsibility. My effort in Faridkot has been to build a force where every officer gets equal opportunity to lead, contribute and make a difference on the ground.”
Punjab Police’s sustained crackdown under Gangstran Te Vaar has yielded significant results. The force has conducted 59,015 raids on identified locations linked to gangster associates across the state and made 21,154 arrests since the launch of the campaign. Police teams have also arrested 888 proclaimed offenders (POs) during this time.
Inspector General of Police, Faridkot Range, Nilambari Jagdale emphasised that the campaign is focused on dismantling criminal ecosystems at their roots. “With a firm resolve to eradicate gangsterism, drug trafficking and organised crime from the roots, under the leadership of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and directions of Gaurav Yadav, DGP Punjab, the team have been carrying continuous targeted and stringent action across the state against gangsters, their associates, their relatives, anti-social elements, drug traffickers and organised criminal groups.”
“The primary objective of this campaign is to reach the roots of criminal networks, completely dismantle their operations and further strengthen the sense of security among the general public. In this series, ‘Operation Prahar 1.0’ and ‘Operation Prahar 2.0’ were launched,” added the Inspector General of Police, Faridkot Range.
She further stressed that leadership and courage are not defined by gender. “Be it female or male officers, leadership, planning and courage does not depend on gender. I think the female officers are performing a great job in the coordination and Punjab Police has a great skill set of police personnel. I think the victims and witnesses trust the female officers, and never hesitate to share their problems. We have handled various cases under operation Gangstran Te Vaar, and the challenges always differ. We have to act a step ahead from the criminals.”
“Sometimes they choose a heavily dense area to make public as a shield, but again, we have to be active and put our best foot forward to discourage them from committing crimes. These days, the gangsters also use modern technology, this is the area where we have improved our teams. A mix of female and male police force gives a healthy sign of a progressive state. It is also encouraging for the youngsters, which is important for increasing community policing,” she added.
The operations have also exposed and disrupted the financial and logistical backbone of organised crime networks. Using advanced analysis of call detail records, tower dumps and IP data, Punjab Police has conducted targeted raids on gangsters, their associates and their support systems, ensuring thorough verification and intelligence-led action.
SSP Khanna Dr Darpan Ahluwalia highlighted the growing importance of community participation in strengthening policing outcomes. “Gangstran te Vaar, Khanna Police is strengthening community participation as a core strategy. While often termed soft policing, this approach has shown strong on-ground impact, especially in identified hotspots tackled jointly with the civil administration. Through ‘Ghar Ghar Sampark Muhim’, our teams are engaging directly with citizens while dressed in civilian clothes, going door to door, addressing grievances and gathering vital human intelligence.”
The fight against crime is a collective battle, one that cannot be won by the police alone, but with the active support of the people of Punjab,” said the SSP Khanna.
The arrests made under Operation Prahaar have been systematically categorised into associates, relatives and unlisted individuals, further divided into A+, A and B categories, ensuring structured tracking of criminal elements and strengthening preventive detention, interrogation and enforcement strategies across Punjab.
