Sood 3rd Karnataka-cadre officer Praveen Sood to hold top CBI post

BENGALURU: Praveen Sood, the third IPS officer of Karnataka cadre to be appointed the director of CBI, has a global exposure to policing and an academic bent of mind which he showcased during his three decades of work in the state.
Born in 1964 in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, Sood joined IPS in 1986. He started his career as an assistant superintendent of police in Mysuru in 1989. He worked as the SP in Ballari and Raichur before being posted in Bengaluru as deputy commissioner of police. In 1999, he went on foreign deputation as a police adviser to the government of Mauritius for three years, where he was exposed to European and US school of policing.
In 2003, he took a sabbatical for pursuing masters in public policy and management from IIMB and Maxwell School of Governance, Syracuse University, New York.
He was the police commissioner of Mysuru city between 2004 and 2007. He was additional commissioner of police (traffic) in Bengaluru between February 2008 and September 2011 when he took up several initiatives to decongest the city.
He held the post of Bengaluru police chief between December 31, 2016, and August 1, 2017. Sood was appointed DG&IGP, Karnataka, on January 31, 2020, and held the position for over three years.
He has been honoured with the Chief Minister's Gold Medal for Excellence in Service in 1996, Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2002 and President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2011. He is also a recipient of Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2006 for his contribution towards road safety/traffic management and national E-Governance Gold Award for 'Most innovative use of technology for traffic management' in 2011.
In 1996, Joginder Singh and DR Karthikeyan were the two other Karnataka-cadre IPS officers to hold the post of CBI director. While Joginder helmed CBI between July 1996 and June 1997, Karthikeyan served between January 31, 1998, and March 31, 1998.