Gaya: Slinging an LMG around his shoulder, Ashish Bharti, the ‘Dabangg’ police officer of Bihar, trotted into the hinterlands of Bihar and showed dreaded Naxalites their real worth for years. Known for his tough posture and daredevilry, Bharti also has a soft side and straddles another world.
The khaki-clad officer, who is in pursuit of his other interests, built a library for children. Currently posted at Gaya as an SSP, Bharti first opened a library for the police. These police libraries contain books for various major competitive examinations including IAS, UPSC, and BPSC. There is a history of the struggle of this IPS behind the opening of these police libraries.
Ashish Bharti sees the initiative as fulfilling his social responsibility. At his behest, Gaya Police has started a free library for the convenience of book lovers. At present, 200 books are kept in this library.
“I have spent most of my career chasing and scaring away Naxalites in remote terrains and jungles. I have been instrumental in arresting dreaded Naxalites like Vijay Arya and Pramod Mishra, who are prominent leaders of the CPI Maoist Central Committee. I am a book lover and want to help students in their study pursuits. Whatever career you choose in life, one has to be on the lookout to gather knowledge,” Bharti said
The office said that he opened libraries wherever he was posted earlier. “Earlier, I had started a library at the office of the Superintendent of Police in Rohtas. In the hilly areas, two libraries came up under my initiative. Students aiming for competitive examinations benefit greatly from such libraries,” Bharti added.
Ashish Bharti himself has authored many books along with his wife Swapna Gautam Meshram.
‘Father’s small book shop became an inspiration’
Ashish Bharti, who hails from Parwalpur in Nalanda district of Bihar, struggled a lot to pursue his dream of becoming an IPS. Bharati said he took inspiration from his father’s small bookshop in one corner of his grocery shop.
“Despite struggling with finances, my father had a noble vision. He had opened a bookshop in one corner of his grocery. When I was young, students used to come and study at that bookshop. They used to take books home and were also successful,” he said.
Young Bharti got inspired when he saw the enthusiasm of the students, who became successful after reading the books of his father’s small shop. He decided that he would also face competitive exams like UPSC and BPSC.
He started his initial studies by taking books from his father’s shop and became successful. Now, Ashish Bharti is not only one of the famous IPS of Bihar but has also attained a ‘celebrity-like’ status. His wife Swapnala Meshram is also holding the post of Aurangabad SP.
The break came in 2011
Bharti attributed his success to his reading habits from his father’s shop.”Reading books at my father’s shop helped me to get into the groove as I was preparing for competitive exams. After studying in Patna and then in Delhi, I became a computer engineer. Later, I cracked the exam and became IPS,” the police officer said.
Bharti himself wrote many books for IPS aspirants. Several books authored by Bharti and his wife are kept at the police library.