Praveen Sood found himself in the spotlight when D.K. Shivakumar, the chief of Karnataka’s Congress, accused him of favouring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Shivakumar in March this year called Sood ‘Nalayak’ (incompetent) and reportedly threatened strict action against him once the Congress party assumed power.
Shivakumar criticized Sood for his alleged affiliation with the BJP, “questioning how long he would continue serving as a party member instead of fulfilling his duties as a police officer.”
According to Shivakumar, Sood has filed approximately 25 cases against Congress leaders while not registering a single case against the BJP leaders.
Personal Life:
A 1986 batch IPS officer became the officer at the age of 22.
Sood hails from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. His father, Om Prakash Sood, was a clerk in the Delhi government, while his mother, Kamlesh Sood, was a teacher at a government school in Delhi.
After completing his schooling from a government school in Delhi, Sood earned a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi.
IPS Career:
Sood became an IPS officer at the age of 22. In 1986, he joined the Karnataka Cadre.
While serving in this capacity, he pursued an MBA in Public Police Management from IIM Bangalore.
In the initial years of his police service, he held positions such as Superintendent of Police in Bellary and Raichur, as well as Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in Bengaluru and Mysore.
Medals & Honours:
For his excellent service, Sood was felicitated with a gold medal by the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 1996. In 2002, he received the Police Medal, followed by the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2011. In June 2020, Sood was appointed as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in Karnataka.
Sood has also served as the Police Advisor to the Mauritian government.
Daughter’s marriage draws attention:
Praveen Sood is married to Vinita Sood, a social entrepreneur. The couple has two daughters. One of their daughters, Ashita Sood, holds a postgraduate degree in Law. In 2022, Ashita married cricketer Mayank Agarwal. The marriage of their daughter to a cricketer also garnered significant attention.
A Ray of hope for people in distress:
During his tenure as Bengaluru Police Commissioner, Sood launched an emergency response system called ‘Namma 100’. It was a multilingual system with 100 lines and operated round the clock with 276 emergency vehicles. This system was designed to respond to distress calls within 15 minutes.
Additionally, Sood focused on ensuring the safety and security of women and children by launching a safety app named ‘Oshra Pink Hoysala’.
Currently, serving as the Director General of Police (DGP) in Karnataka, Sood brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role.