Kiran Bedi Biography: Life, Career, Awards and Social Works

Have you heard about Kiran Bedi? Want to know about Kiran Bedi biography? Let’s start. Kiran Bedi was born on 9 June 1949 in Amritsar to their father, Prakashlal Peshawaria and mother, Premlata. Kiran Bedi did her schooling.

She obtained her Master’s degree in Political Science from Panjab University. She also took an LLB degree in law from Delhi University, and in the year 1993, she got IIT. After that, she did PhD in the same subject from the Department of Social Science, Delhi. 

During her studies, Kiran Bedi was a brilliant student, but tennis was her passion. She won the Asian Women’s Lawn Tennis Championships in 1972 and entered the Indian Police Academy in the same year, from where she came out as a police officer in 1974. Before joining the police service, Kiran Bedi started her work as a lecturer in teaching from 1970 to 1972 and was preparing for the administrative services.

During the police service, Kiran Bedi held many important posts and performed difficult tasks. The manner in which she controlled the Sikh riots that arose between the Akalis and the Nirankaris at India Gate Delhi in 1977 is an example in the records of the Police Department.

In 1979 she joined as the D.C. of West Delhi. Kiran Bedi is an Indian politician, social activist, tennis player and retired police officer. Kiran Bedi joined the Police Service (IPS) in 1972 and became India’s first woman officer.

In this blog, we will discuss the detailed Kiran Bedi biography. 

Early Life of Kiran Bedi (Kiran Bedi Biography)

Our India is a country of heroes, where many brave revolutionaries and police officers have taken birth from time to time and have contributed immensely to the country’s interest. Not only male police officers but also female police officers were working a lot for the country. The name of the IPS officer is Kiran Bedi.

You must have heard the name of Kiran Bedi before. Kiran Bedi is also called as Lady Singham.

Kiran Bedi was born on 9 June 1949 in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Her father name is Prakash Lal Peshawaria, and her mother name is Prem Lata Peshawaria. She received her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English from the Government College for Women, Amritsar, in 1968. She completed her graduation in Political Science in 1970 and was the topper in her class. In 1972, Kiran Bedi married Brij Bedi, and they have a daughter together.

She got a law degree from the Faculty of Law, the University of Delhi, in 1998 while serving as the Director-General of Police. Then she earned his doctorate from the Department of Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in 1993.

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The Career of Kiran Bedi (Kiran Bedi Biography)

Kiran Bedi started her career not as a police officer but as a lecturer in political science at the Khalsa College for Women, Amritsar, in 1970. After two years of teaching, she cleared the civil services exam and became an IPS officer. This thing made her the first woman in India to join the services. 

During his career in the Indian Police Service, she served as Chief of the New Delhi Traffic Police, DIG of Police in Mizoram, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of Chandigarh, Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau and Civil Police Adviser for United Nations. She was awarded with the United Nations Medal for his work.

 Kiran Bedi made several reforms in the management of Tihar Jail in Delhi when she was the Inspector General of Prisons during 1993-1995. Various programs started by her under this mission saw positive changes in the lives of prisoners.

His short tenure was remembered as a golden period in prison history, and she won the Ramon Award  1994 and the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship. The last position that Kiran Bedi secured in the IPS was that of the Director-General of India’s Bureau of Police Research and Development.

 In May 2005, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, acknowledging her “humanitarian approach to prison reforms and policing”. Two years later, Kiran Bedi decided to retire from the police services voluntarily and was allowed by the Government of India. On December 25, 2007, she retired to devote herself to social issues.

The Social Work of Kiran Bedi (Kiran Bedi Biography)

In 1987, Kiran Bedi launched an NGO named Navjyoti India Foundation (NIF). This NGO has spread to other social issues like illiteracy and women empowerment with the objective of drug de-addiction.

She also started the India Vision Foundation in 1994, working for police reforms, prison reforms, women empowerment, rural and community development. She was also the host of the TV program ‘Aap Ki Kachari’, which aimed to resolve the family disputes of citizens.

 In August 2011, Kiran Bedi joined India Against Corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare. She was a prominent face of the movement along with Arvind Kejriwal but later broke away from him when Arvind Kejriwal announced the formation of a new party.

Political Life of Kiran Bedi (Kiran Bedi Biography)

Ahead of the 2014 general elections, Bedi put her choice behind Narendra Modi as the preferred prime ministerial candidate. On 15 January 2015, the BJP inducted Kiran Bedi into the party with its national president Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Bedi joined the party a day after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kiran Bedi’s popularity among Delhi people was huge because of her past record as Delhi’s ‘Super Cop’; the BJP nominated her as the chief ministerial candidate for the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections. Polling in Delhi was held on February 7, and the results were declared three days later. She was elected from the Krishna Nagar constituency. 

The results of this election were hung. No party got a majority. But the Aam Aadmi Party formed the government in alliance with the Congress. This did not last long together. After some time, the government fell. After which, the assembly elections were held once again. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got a clear majority in the results of the elections. Aam Aadmi Party won 67 seats out of 70 assembly seats, and Kiran Bedi was defeated in that election.

The Awards of Kiran Bedi (Kiran Bedi Biography)

1. President Gallantry Award by the President of India in 1979.

2. In 1981 Woman of the Year Award was given by National Solidarity Weekly, India. 

3. Asia Region Award by the International Organization for Drug Prevention and Control (IOGT), Norway, in 1991.

4. International Women’s Award in 1992.

5. Magsaysay Award by Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation in 1994.

6. Mahila Shiromani Award, Father Maximo Humanitarian Award and Lion of the Year by Don Bosco Shrine Office, Bombay-India in 1995.

7. The Pride of India Award was given by the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) in 1999.

8. Woman of the Year Award in 2002 by Blue Drop Group Management, Cultural and Artistic Association, Italy. 

9. United Nations Medal by the United Nations in 2004.

10. Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice by Harmony Foundation in 2005.

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The Final Words

In today’s article, after reading the biography of Kiran Bedi, we learn that even if you are a woman or any person, you should cry or run away from their situations; rather, you should face your situations firmly.

So this was the blog about Kiran Bedi Biography. We hope you like the Kiran Bedi biography, and if you want any other biographies, please let us know in the comments. Thank you!