A story of ambition, resilience, and redefining destiny—unfiltered and up close.
Suman Mukherjee, WBPS
Deputy Superintendent of Police
District Enforcement Branch, Howrah
Rural Police District
• You moved from shaping minds in a classroom to
enforcing law on the ground—what pushed you to leave a stable academic career
for a far more unpredictable path?
Ans. It was my parents’ dream for me to join the civil services and I
have shared their dream as well. Since my academic performance was quite well,
I weighed my options in academia too. To be honest, at one point of time I was
ready to jump into the career of a full blown academic but uncertainty and
irregularity of recruitment in academia pushed me towards civil services once
again. To me, civil services was the field where nothing else counts except
merit. I believed my potentials will be utilised best if I stepped into a
dynamic career such as this.
• Was there a defining incident or moment that made you
realise teaching wasn’t enough, and that you needed to step into uniformed
service?
Ans. It would be dishonest if I mean to say that the glory and pomp of
the uniform service did not attract me. The televised scenes, the cinematic
shots and the media presentation of the uniform service served as major kicks.
The bravery and courage of the police personnel during any emergency situation,
as televised on news, motivated me to do good for the society. Several heinous
crimes and their blood boiling narratives also motivated me to be a part of
investigating agencies. Teaching is a noble profession and there is always a
long queue of people waiting to grab the opportunity of teaching as a
profession. But very few willingly accept the challenge of opting the life of a
uniform personnel member. Why be one of the many when you have the chance to
become one of the very few? I wanted to become one of the very few brave
soldiers of the society who dedicate their all to serve.
• How challenging was it to break out of the comfort zone
of academia and prove yourself in a system as demanding as policing?
Ans. As a part of the law enforcement agencies, we also perform various
tasks to mitigate and prevent crime in our society and that is equally
important as detecting crimes. A day in the life of a cop is never without a
surprise and the nature of policing today is so complex and multifaceted that
it requires an all round performance. You have to be a good orator and a good
negotiator to become a successful police personnel member, in order to gain and
build trust among the people. As a person who was shy and reticent in his
younger days, it was quite challenging for me to break the ice and actually
become comfortable dealing with people on a daily basis. I used to host live
talk shows with various members of the art community on Facebook. My public
speaking skills developed gradually when I engaged in meaningful conversations
with people from all walks of life. A person who is well articulated is more
akin to be trusted and relied upon by the people surrounding him or her. I
believe, I owe a lot to those live shows and my classes with the students that
I took on as a challenge and thanks to them, I scored the highest on
personality test in WBCS 2021.
• Do you think your background in English literature
gives you an emotional or psychological edge while dealing with crime and
people?
Ans. Yes, it does. All thanks to my Alma Mater, the knowledge in
language helps me immensely to draft important reports and articulate myself in
front of people for interaction. Interrogation is a dynamic process and I am in
the phase of learning. In order to be a good interrogator, you have to be a
good conversationist and certainly my skills give me an edge. In my short span
of career, my conversation skills have helped to build up a solid base with my
colleagues and unearth a few heinous crimes as well.
• Law enforcement often comes with moral dilemmas—have
you ever faced a situation that truly tested your principles?
Ans. Since policing is not like the other jobs, balancing ethics and law
is a constant process in this profession. Sometimes, the conscience takes over
and sometimes the practicality of situations wins. So far, I have not faced any
situation where I was overwhelmed with moral dilemma related to my profession.
Yet, I believe, maintenance of professionalism and ethics in profession are
integral to leading a life of dignity.
• Looking back, do you ever question your decision, or
has this transition fully justified the risks you took?
Ans. Despite people’s warnings to me for opting the police department, I
have not regretted my decision a single day nor I will regret my decision in
near future. Although the work pressure is high, nature of work is dynamic and
sometimes even the strongest are taken down by the evils of the profession, the
uniform is my religion now. I do not see myself in any other role than what has
been assigned to me by the universe. The universe has a plan for me and this is
it. My transition although seemingly heart-warming or alarming to many, is the
best course that I have chosen in my life.