JODHPUR: Deputy superintendent of police (DSP)
Chanchal Mishra felt a sense of accomplishment on Wednesday after a Jodhpur court sent Asaram to life imprisonment till death. She was the investigation officer (IO) who painstakingly probed the allegations, even in the face of relentless threats by Asaram’s followers.
“I am happy that five years of our hard work resulted in his conviction,” Mishra said. A native of Jaipur, she was an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) in Jodhpur in 2013, when the case first came to the Jodhpur police.
It was nothing short of baptism by fire for the young officer. “It was also my first posting, I joined on July 21, 2013, and the case came to us next month in August,” she said. Currently posted as circle officer (CO) at Mandal in Bhilwara, she is still hated by Asaram followers for her role in building a strong case against him.
Mishra told TOI that Surat police had once alerted her about conspiracies being hatched by Asaram’s supporters to eliminate her. During the initial days of investigation, intelligence agencies informed her that she was on the “hit list” of agitated followers who were planning to buy "lethal weapons" to halt the investigation.
“I was never afraid, even when the intelligence bureau (IB) warned me of some possible attacks. As an official we are trained to handle dangerous circumstances,” she said.
“I am happy with the outcome, it shows that everybody is equal before the law,” she said.
