| D. Roopa | |
| Birth Name: | Roopa Divakar Moudgil |
| Birth Place: | Davanagere, Karnataka |
| Education: | MA (Psychology) |
| Alma Mater: | Bangalore University |
| Occupation: | Inspector General of Police (Indian Police Service) |
| Nationality: | Indian |
Roopa Divakar Moudgil is an Indian Police Service officer belonging to the Karnataka cadre. She hails from the 2000 officers' batch of the Indian Police Service and currently serves as the Inspector General of Police of the Karnataka State Police.
She was also posted as Additional Commandant General, Home Guards & Ex-Officio Additional Director, Civil Defense,[1] commissioner for traffic and road safety, and Deputy Inspector General of Prisons in Karnataka.[2]
She is also a playback singer in Kannada cinemas and has sung in the Kannada film Bayalaatada Bheemanna, starring Ravichandran.[3] [4]
D. Roopa was born in Davanagere. Her father is J. S. Diwakar, a retired engineer and mother is Hemavathi.[5] She has one younger sister, Rohini Divakar, a Joint Commissioner of Income Tax in the Indian Revenue Service.[6] [7] [8] Rohini was also a cadet of the National Cadet Corps. She has authored several articles on prominent national dailies.[9] [10] [11] [12]
She graduated at Kuvempu University, and attained a Masters of Arts in Psychology at Bangalore University.[13] [14] Roopa is well-versed in Hindustani Classical music and is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer. She released a music video on 2018's International Women's Day.[15] [16]
In 2003, she married Munish Moudgil, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and currently an Indian Administrative Service officer. They have two children, Anagha Moudgil and Rushil Moudgil.
Roopa ranked as 43rd out of 2000 across India in the Union Public Service Commission examinations. [17] She underwent training at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, where she was ranked 5th in her batch and was allotted a slot at the Karnataka cadre.
Soon after the training, Roopa was posted as Superintendent of police in Dharwad district. She also served as the same post in Gadag district and in Yadgir district, before moving to Bengaluru.[18]
In 2007, she led the arrest of then-Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and former Union Minister Uma Bharati in relation to a court case in Hubballi. In 2008, she arrested Yavagal, an ex-minister. During this case, she had her subordinate, Deputy Superintendent Masooti, suspended for being in continuous contact with Mr. Yavagal.[19]
She became the first lady police officer in the nation to head the Cyber-Crime police station/division, in 2013. While she was the DCP, City Armed Reserve in Bengaluru, she had withdrawn 216 excess gunmen kept unauthorized by 81 politicians. She also had withdrawn 8 new and unauthorized SUVs of the department that remained with the ex-Chief Minister of Karnataka.[20]
In July 2017, Roopa was transferred from her post as Deputy Inspector General Prisons, a post she took barely a month prior to the commissioner for traffic and road safety. Days after she found irregularities inside the jail. She alleged that AIADMK (Amma) general secretary V K Sasikala was enjoying VIP treatment at Parappana Agrahara central prison. In a report, she submitted to the Home Department and Director General of Police (DGP) for Prison Department H N Sathyanarayana Rao, Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Roopa claimed that Sasikala was being provided with VIP treatment in jail, a whole corridor comprising five cells had been set aside for her private use, an exclusive kitchen to cook meals for her and the relaxed visiting hours in exchange for a Rs 2-crore bribe to jail officials.[21]
In January 2019, the high-level probe led by retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar, an independent inquiry committee, that inquired into this allegations of irregularities had found and confirmed "serious lapses" and "falsification of records" on the part of senior prison officials in extending special treatment to V.K. Sasikala. It further vindicated her stand, and a case has been registered in Anti-Corruption Bureau(ACB) based on her report. Inquiry committee also found that prison officials were aware that the cells were provided to V.K. Sasikala for private use.[22]
She was selected by Israel Foreign Ministry to be part of "Discover Israel delegation" to promote ties between the two countries.[23] She has been transferred 41 times in 17 years until 2017, has faced privilege motions for naming politicians in FIRs. She is also currently facing a defamation case seeking ₹ 20 crore by DGP Satyanarayana.[24] This case was quashed by the Karnataka High Court in June 2022.[25]
A Karnataka court has directed the police to file a criminal defamation case against IPS officer D Roopa Moudgil for allegedly posting objectionable pictures and videos of IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri, and for accusing her of unethical practices. [26]
She was awarded the President's Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2016.[27]