On Thursday, July 1, the Ministry of Home Affairs awarded Robin Hibu with ‘Ati Utkrisht Seva Padak’. Incidentally, it is also the birthday of this much-loved cop.
Conferred with several national and international accolades, Robin Hibu stood against all odds, making Delhi a “much-safer capital” for the people of the Northeast.
Hibu, the first Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Arunachal Pradesh, was born and brought up in the remote village of Hong, nestled in the beautiful Ziro Valley.
Hailing from the Apatani community, Hibu has achieved feats to tackle racism experienced by Northeasterners in other parts of the country especially in the national capital.
He has relentlessly aimed to bridge the invisible gap that stands between the mainlanders and Northeastern Indians.
In 2016, he founded a non-profit called ‘Helping Hands’, to address distress calls from students, young men, and women from the region suffering exploitation at the hands of employers and middlemen. It includes a network of myriad professionals like lawyers, chartered accountants, government services, and ordinary citizens whose aim is to assist the Northeasterners in distress.
Apart from his job, he is an avid social worker and has won several prestigious awards. Notable among these are the Samajik Ratna Puraskar (2007), Social Work for Minorities Award in 2018 by Delhi Minorities Commission, and the Global Mahatma Gandhi Award, 2019.
He was honoured with the President of India Distinguish Service Medal for the second time in 2017-2018. The first President of India medal for Meritorious Service was awarded to him in 2009-2010. He was conferred with the President of India Police Medal for Meritorious Service and the President of India Police Medal for Distinguished Services in 2010 and 2017, respectively.
He has led UN missions and was awarded the UN Peace Medal for Meritorious Services in Bosnia in 1999. He was twice being honoured with the Gold Medal in 2003 and 2009. The following year he won the UN Peace Medal for Distinguished Services in Kosovo in 2000 from the legendary Kofi Annan for his distinguished service in UN Police as UN Police Commander at Gjilane, Kosovo and Bosnia Herzegovina.
Chosen for a stint in Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2017, Hibu became the first IGP from the region to serve as the Joint Commissioner in Rashtrapati Bhavan Secretariat, New Delhi.
He has made sure that land is allocated for NE Police Unit, lobbied, and sanctioned Rs. 2400 lakhs from Women & Child Ministry for NE Police building, toiled hard for special NE recruitment in Delhi Police, and much more. He also started a new era by starting NE SOS Helpline 1093.
He has staunchly pursued Rashtrapati Bhavan’s design for the model Delhi Police Training Centre.
Hibu adopted Chanakyan diplomatic skills by roping in local MPs, MLAs, and other adversaries, thereby sanctioning the Central Health Services Hospital for Delhi Police at Jharoda Kalan.
He designed the first Model Anti-riot/ anti-fire/anti-water-resistant Beat Booth solar energy enabled with digital LCD with inbuilt PA system. This today stands tall near iconic India Gate, New Delhi.
Robin Hibu wishes to serve the Northeast people in distress, empowering them by creating awareness, providing all legal-emergency assistance along with educational facilities.
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