The people of Tamil Nadu had gone to bed last night with remarkable news as whom they know as an intimate police officer will now be decorating the powerful and indeed the highest law enforcement office in the state. C Sylendra Babu IPS, who has been an inspirational figure, has been appointed as the Director-General of Police in Tamil Nadu. 

Though there are many DGP posts in the police department, the DGP of Law and Order will be heading the entire police force. Sylendra Babu is now the DGP of Law and Order in Tamil Nadu, which means that he will be the Chief Executive of the Tamil Nadu Police. Thanks to the state government for giving the right honour to the right man at the right time. 

Sylendra Babu IPS will be taking charge as the DGP on Wednesday following the retirement of his predecessor JK Tripathy. Being known as an ace police officer, Sylendra Babu has been filled with wishes and commendations after the appointment to top post and as he inches closer to assume the charge, let's take a look at his journey of past - his previous life and offices, present - his responsibilities as the DGP, and the future- the challenges that lie ahead of him. 

Past: 

Being the senior-most IPS officer in Tamil Nadu currently, Sylendra Babu has created various milestones, precedents, and earned several accolades in his three-decade career in the Indian Police Service. He was one of the youngest to become an IPS officer. He was born in the town of Kuzhithurai in the Kanniyakumari district on June 5, 1962. He attended the government school in his hometown and his interest in agriculture had driven him to pursue Agri studies and after his schooling, he earned a bachelor's degree in Agriculture from the Agricultural College and Research Institute in Madurai.

He then had majored in agriculture extension from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. It was during this tenure that he decided to pursue the Union Public Service Commission examinations. He cracked the exams successfully and became an IPS officer in 1987, at the age of 25, making him one of the youngest to serve in India's law enforcement. No turnbacks after becoming an IPS officer and he continued to deliver justice to the duty and to the affected people. After his agricultural degree, he had later obtained a Master's degree in Population Studies from the Annamalai University and he was awarded a PhD for his thesis on 'missing children' by the University of Madras. In 2013, he obtained an MBA degree in Human Resources. 

He was trained at the National Police Academy, Hyderabad, and started his career in the police service as the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in October 1989. He has served as the ASP in Dharmapuri, Gobichettipalayam, Salem, and Dindigul. He then went on to serve as the Superintendent of Police in Chengalpattu, Sivagangai, Cuddalore, and Kancheepuram districts. While he was serving as the Police Commissioner, he caught into controversy the police operation of encountering a hooligan, who was accused of murdering the young siblings. 

Though the encounter operation had earned him a reception from the public, he had faced flak from the Human Rights Commission which moved to the court against the encounter. However, it hasn't disturbed his career as he was resplendent in what he is up to. Delivering a sheer devotion and brilliance towards the law and order, Sylendra Babu had kept reaching more heights. After serving as the Superintendent of Police, he was promoted as the Deputy Inspector-General of Police and then became Inspector-General (IG) for Northern Zone, Chennai. 

He also had served as the Deputy and Joint Commissioner of Police in Chennai and in April 2012, he was promoted to the rank of Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP) in Tamil Nadu. He had served as the ADGP of Prisons, Coastal Police, and Railway Police. In March 2019, he was promoted as the Director-General of Police (DGP) of Railway Police. Sylendra Babu has held several high-ranking and challenging jobs in the police department. 

While he was known as the slayer of gangsters in the police circle as he had encountered several gangsters who were troubling law and order, he is prominently known for the people as an intimate and inspiring police officer. He had never failed to focus on the upliftment of the younger generation and authored several books of motivation. He is a household name in the state, something that is largely deserved by celebrities. Sylendra Babu had actively participated in and supported various sports activities such as swimming, athletics, shooting, and cycling. 

He had drawn hundreds of young people towards these sports through his participation and he is also been referred to as a marathon hero. Being a reformer, Sylendra Babu had reformed the lives of the prisoners while he was serving as the ADGP of Prisons. He had conducted various camps and driving classes for the prisoners inside the prison and taken rehabilitation measures for them after their release. In February 2013, Babu had organized and participated in an 890 km cycle rally from Chennai to Kanyakumari along with the members of Coastal Security Group and Indian Coast Guard to create awareness about the functioning of Coastal police.

Being known for his strict training regimen, Sylendra Babu is an ambassador for good health and physical wellbeing. He has earned a fan base in the state through his physical activities and speaking for the well-being of the younger generation. As a 'what not' police officer, Babu has addressed before thousands of students, carried out measures to motivate them, had authored nearly twelve books.  He also had remarkably worked in the relief efforts of the Chennai floods in 2015. For his unparalleled service, he has received several national accolades including President's Medal for devotion to duty, Prime Minister's medal for life-saving, and President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service. 

Present: 

With such promising records and recognitions in the past, Sylendra Babu is going to decorate the state with the highest post of Director-General of Police in Tamil Nadu. The DGP is the highest-ranking police officer in the state. Sylendra Babu will be taking charge as the 30th DGP of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday and he won the race for the DGP by defeating dozen IPS officers.

Babu will be succeeding the outgoing DGP JK Tripathy, who held the post for two years. As the DGP, he will be heading the Tamil Nadu police, which is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in India with over 1 lakh police personnel. The responsibility of leading a massive fleet of police personnel and maintaining the law and order in the state is now been levied on Sylendra Babu. 

Future: 

Sylendra Babu will be serving as the DGP of Tamil Nadu for two years. Having said that, he will be the face of Tamil Nadu police until this time in 2023 and Sylendra Babu would be facing a pile of challenges in two years which would probably more than what he had faced in his decades-long career. He will be assuming the charge at a high time when the people of Tamil Nadu are witnessing excess policing and police brutality. 

From Sathankulam police brutality to the recent death of a farmer in the Salem district after he was brutally beaten by a police officer, the people have expressed more concerns and worry about growing police brutality. Sylendra Babu must work on fixing excess policing and revamping law enforcement to protect people and not to abuse them. Besides controlling the crimes, Sylendra Babu has to work with the state government in its fight against the pandemic. 

Deploying adequate levels of police officers to impose the restrictions of the government and to address the pains of such officers, Sylendra Babu has a Himalayan task around him in speaking for his fleet and for his people. Amid his challenge of building people's friendly police force and securing the borders of the state, he would face a major ordeal in breaking the chain of misinformation, awful, and abusive behaviour on social media platforms by taking stern action against people who indulge in such acts. So far, his journey has been promising, inspiring, and successful through his audacity and perseverance, and his tenure as DGP would be a test for excellence and reformer in him.