Kiran Bedi an imposing figure. Her iron will and deep sense of spirituality make her more formidable than her physical presence would suggest. In India, a land where women struggle against the second-class status rooted in an ancient culture that has not caught up with the equal rights laws of its young government, Bedi’s achievements have made her a role model and hero to other Indian women.
  
In July of 1972, she became the first female police officer in India when she joined the Indian Police Service (ISP). Her honesty drew attention, although it was not always appreciated.She was well aware that the police were often the biggest

violators of human rights. Yet, she believed that it was the police who were in the best position to be the champion of human rights. She applied this philosophy in every stage of a career as a traffic cop, a narcotics officer, an anti-terrorist specialist, and an administrator. Bedi felt that the police should do more than just catch the bad guys and put them in jail. She saw her role as a police officer as an opportunity to help people, to show them the way to a better life.
 
The greatest challenge to her philosophy came in 1994 when she was promoted to the rank of Inspector General of Prisons and given the responsibility of managing the largest and most notorious prison in the Asia Pacific area. Tihar Prison held approximately 8,500 prisoners, mostly male.
 
Her greatest achievement may be the effect her achievements have had on Indian women who see Kiran Bedi as a role model and a hero. Bedi has shown them that with hard work and determination, they can overcome ancient stereotyping and make their dreams come true.