Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :
Mumbai :
In what he described as a dream come true, 25-year-old Mira Road resident Sameer Aslam Shaikh led the ‘Dikshant’ or passing-out parade of 136 Indian Police Service officers in Hyderabad on Monday.
Shaikh was given the honour as he emerged the winner of the Prime Minister’s baton and the home ministry’s revolver for being this year’s overall champion and the best cadet among IPS probationers .
Shaikh said he was inspired by former Mumbai police chief Julio Ribeiro to become a police officer and serve the nation. The son of a civil engineer, Shaikh studied at St Xavier’s School, Mira Road, and did his Class XI-XII at Sathaye College in Vile Parle. He did his bachelor of engineering in electronics from BITS Pilani. “I worked hard on my studies to work for the nation,” he told TOI from Hyderabad.
”I am happy at this moment,” Shaikh told TOI over the phone from Hyderabad where he led the passing-out parade at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. Union home minister Rajnath Singh was the chief guest at the ceremony. The Shanti Park resident’s younger brother, Aman, too is studying engineering, while their mother is a homemaker.
It was while doing his internship at a think tank on public policies that Shaikh first decided to appear for the UPSC exam in 2015. He failed in his first attempt, though. But not feeling disheartened, a driven Shaikh spoke to several civil servants and got detailed, “first-hand” information on how to prepare for the exam. He said it was during his discussions with them that he understood the impact a civil servant has on society.
Thereafter, he meticulously planned his studies and focused on time management. He even moved to New Delhi to get a better understanding of the exam and studies there. Shaikh’s hard work paid off. In his second attempt in 2016, he cracked UPSC and was allotted IPS’s Maharashtra cadre. After a 45-week training in theory and physical fitness followed by an exam, Shaikh was declared the topper. “My parents have come here (to Hyderabad) and we all are together,” he said.
Shaikh recounted stories of senior cops who inspired him to join the force. “I studied to learn more and work for the country, not to just win the top position,” said the academy topper.
Shaikh led the parade of 136 IPS probationers, including 14 foreigners from the Royal Bhutan Police, Nepal Police and Maldives Police. During their training, the probationers learned to deal with various situations at the police academy and visited several places across the country to understand how the force functions. They also interacted with senior officials from various other departments.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Mumbai News / by Mateen Hafeez / TNN / October 31st, 2017