Ex-badminton player Kuhoo Garg wins IPS Sword of Honour at police academy

Kuhoo Garg, a former international badminton player and an Indian Police Service (IPS) probationer of the Gujarat cadre, received the IPS Association's Sword of Honour as the best outdoor probationer of the 78th Regular Recruit (RR) batch on Saturday, 17 October 2026. The award was presented at the Dikshant, or passing-out, parade at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, where Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan reviewed the parade as chief guest. Five days earlier, on 12 October, she had also won the medal for the best probationer in drill.

The Sword of Honour for the best outdoor probationer recognises performance in the physically demanding side of police training: parade drill, physical fitness, weapons handling, field craft and similar outdoor work. These are the parts of training where many people still assume men have a natural advantage. A woman topping the outdoor assessment of a batch of 151, after also taking the drill medal, challenges that assumption in a concrete and measurable way. It is not a symbolic gesture; it is a ranking earned against every other trainee in the batch.

Her path also shows that a career in elite sport and a career in public service need not be separate. Kuhoo Garg spent roughly seven years on the international badminton circuit before preparing for the civil services examination, which she cleared on her first attempt. The discipline, fitness and competitive habits built in sport are the same qualities police training tests outdoors. For young women who play sport seriously and worry that it will close other doors, her record is a useful example of one leading to the other.

The presence of 37 women in the batch, roughly one in four of all trainees, is itself part of the story. Women officers are steadily becoming a regular part of the IPS rather than an exception, and the awards at this parade went to women in drill, physical training and the overall outdoor ranking. As these officers take up posts as assistant superintendents of police in districts, they will lead station staff, handle law and order and deal directly with victims of crime, including women and children who often find it easier to approach a woman officer.

The parade also set out what the service expects of its new officers. Speaking at the ceremony, the Home Secretary conveyed a message from Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling for zero tolerance towards terrorism, time-bound action and better coordination of intelligence. He also pointed to narcotics, cybercrime and crimes linked to the dark net as growing concerns. These are areas where the next generation of officers, women and men alike, will be judged.

Short-term: Kuhoo Garg and her batchmates now begin attachments with central police organisations in Delhi, before district training in their allotted states. Her award will be part of her service record as she starts work in Gujarat.

Long-term: Visible success by women in the most physical parts of police training can encourage more young women, including athletes, to consider the civil services and the police as a career. A larger number of women officers in district posts may also make policing more approachable for women who report crimes.

Who is affected: The 78th RR batch of IPS probationers, particularly its 37 women; young women preparing for the civil services; sportspeople considering careers after competition; and the police forces and residents of the states where these officers will serve.

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