‘Hunter Wali Madam’ IPS Officer Retires From Bihar Police Service

Senior IPS officer Shobha Ohatkar, a 1990-batch officer and the Director General-cum-Commandant General of Bihar Home Guards and Fire Services, retired from service on Tuesday. A farewell ceremony has been organised at the Central Training Institute of Bihar Home Guards in Anandpur, Bihta, near Patna.

Known for her strict policing and tough action against criminals and organised crime, Ohatkar is regarded as one of Bihar’s most prominent police officers. She became an IPS officer at the age of 22 and began her policing career in 1992 as the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Patna City.

During the 1990s, when Bihar was grappling with high levels of crime, including murder, kidnapping, robbery and extortion, Ohatkar earned a reputation for taking firm action against criminal networks. It is often said that criminals feared her presence, and she reportedly succeeded in significantly reducing crime in every district where she served as Superintendent of Police.

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Born in Pune, Ohatkar completed her Master’s degree in Political Science from Hyderabad before clearing the Civil Services Examination. Her father, Balram Ohatkar, served as the Excise Commissioner in Hyderabad. She has often credited him for inspiring her career in public service. She has a son and a daughter and has been divorced for several years.

One of the most talked-about chapters of her career came during her tenure as SP in Hazaribagh, when undivided Bihar still included present-day Jharkhand. Between 1992 and 2000, she served as SP in six districts before moving to Maharashtra on central deputation in 2000. She returned to Bihar in 2020 and was promoted to the rank of Director General.

Over the course of her career, Ohatkar served as SP in Patna, Darbhanga, Hazaribagh, Saran (Chhapra), Vaishali and Deoghar. Her postings in Hazaribagh and Deoghar were among the most notable. In Hazaribagh, she launched a major crackdown on the coal mafia, seizing coal worth crores of rupees and sending more than 40 coal smugglers, including several influential figures, to jail. The operation drew nationwide attention and was widely reported at the time.

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During her posting in Deoghar, she became known as ‘Hunter Wali Madam’ for her uncompromising action against criminals. According to accounts from that period, she took strict measures against those accused of harassing women, particularly around the Baidyanath Dham temple, and personally supervised operations against offenders.

In 1998, while serving as SP in Darbhanga, she focused on tackling the district’s rampant kidnapping cases. Through detailed investigations, she helped curb the crime despite facing resistance, including from influential individuals allegedly linked to such offences.

As SP of Vaishali, she also led operations against several notorious criminal gangs operating in the Raghopur Diara region, dismantling nearly 16 to 17 gangs. Throughout her career, she maintained that an IPS officer should gain experience in field policing, the CID and the Special Branch to become an effective police leader.

In 2023, Ohatkar was at the centre of a public controversy involving IPS officer Vikas Vaibhav. He had alleged on social media that she verbally abused and mentally harassed him and his family. The matter later came to the attention of the Bihar government. Ohatkar denied all the allegations, stating that the issue stemmed from indiscipline and interference in official work.

Apart from the controversy, she is also credited with spearheading reforms and modernisation initiatives in Bihar’s Home Guards and Fire Services during her tenure as Director General.