Some stories never make it to file notings or press briefings. They move in murmurs, exchanged in lift lobbies and murmured across dinner tables. One such story is circulating quietly now, involving a pair of student activists, a Delhi Police unit better known for its counterterrorism work, and a brutal episode of alleged custodial torture.
According to Lakshita and Gurkirat, the beatings they endured, allegedly with leather whips, no less, weren’t the result of political provocation or subversive action. The reason, they say, was far more banal and yet more chilling. A personal dispute involving a well-placed official’s family.
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The dots aren’t hard to connect for those in the know. The bureaucratic grapevine points toward a senior officer from the 1995 batch, currently helming a national mission in the water sector, and reportedly well-networked in the right circles. Her name isn’t in the FIR, of course. It wouldn’t be. That’s not how these things work.
But the very idea that a private grievance could, allegedly, set off a chain of events leading to days of illegal detention and physical abuse by a specialised police unit has set alarm bells ringing. Or at least ought to.
No outrage, no press statements. Just a ripple of unease in the system. Just whispers. And in Delhi, whispers often say more than official press releases ever will. The kind that remind everyone of what power looks like when it’s exercised off the record, and off the leash.
The chair is filled, but is it occupied?
In Lutyens’ Delhi, nothing says continuity like an ad hoc appointment. And the recent move to place senior IPS officer SBK Singh at the helm of Delhi Police on additional charge, no less, is a case study in how to make a statement while dodging one.
To be sure, there’s a quiet satisfaction in the ranks. After years of watching outsiders parachuted into the top job, officers from the AGMUT cadre are finally seeing one of their own in the chair. That Singh, a 1988-batch officer, is known to the system and carries institutional memory, makes the move feel like a return to form.
But then there’s the fine print. Six months. Additional charge. Retirement is around the corner. Déjà vu, anyone? Those with long memories recall a similar baton pass with SN Shrivastava, another interim commissioner whose elevation came just before superannuation. That pattern isn’t lost on the force.
So, what’s the subtext here? A stopgap? A placeholder till something (or someone) else aligns? No one’s saying it aloud, but the appointment seems designed to avoid rocking any boats while still keeping up appearances.
Insiders might be relieved, but they’re not blind. An ad-hoc title rarely comes with full authority. And when the top cop has a ticking clock overhead, it’s hard to chart a long-term course. For now, Delhi Police has a familiar face in charge. Whether it also has stable leadership remains to be seen.
Glass ceilings meet forest canopies
It’s not every day that a general body meeting of a civil service association generates actual buzz. But the Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Association has done just that, and without so much as a chainsaw. For the first time, its national executive is entirely led by women. And no, this isn’t a diversity sidebar, it’s the main story.
Jyotsna Sitling, a pioneer in her own right, now serves as Patron. At the helm is Anita Karan as President, with Monalisa Dash as Secretary-General, and a powerhouse lineup including Surbhi Rai, Suvvena Thakur, and Chestha Singh. It’s not just a team; it’s a statement that says competence, commitment, and calm authority come in all genders.
Not to romanticise it, though, these women officers didn’t get here on slogans or tokenism. They’ve trudged through real jungles, not just bureaucratic ones. They’ve worked on the frontlines of conservation, battled forest fires (literal and institutional), and shaped environmental policy where it matters.
In a service long dominated by khaki-clad machismo and safari-hatted stereotypes, this quiet shift is no less than radical. It’s also timely. As climate crises accelerate and biodiversity collapses, the forest service needs less swagger and more stewardship. This team seems poised to deliver exactly that.
So the Indian Forest Service just made history. But more importantly, it might be rewriting the future, one green leaf and one bold decision at a time.
By Dilip Cherian
