In 1982, as the Asian Games were only a year away, the Governor of Delhi called for Kiran Bedi and gave her the herculean task of regulating the chaotic Delhi traffic. Kiran Bedi became better known as ‘Crane Bedi’, as she hired all the cranes in the city and towed away wrongly parked vehicles. One day, a sub inspector towed away a VIP’s car that was parked wrongly. This happened to be the then Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi’s car! In spite of this, Kiran Bedi appreciated and supported the sub inspector for carrying out his duty conscientiously.

Dr Kiran Bedi was the first woman officer to join the Indian Police Service in 1972. She pioneered humanitarian policing by transforming prisons and boldly reducing corruption. She received the prestigious Magsaysay Award in 1994. She has also founded two NGOs in India: Navjyoti for welfare and preventive policing in 1987 and the India Vision Foundation for prison reformation, drug abuse prevention and child welfare in 1994.

Adapted for BookBox by Ananya Parthibhan.