Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Kiran Bedi urges citizens to question power, demand accountability
Kiran Bedi is a famous retired police officer from India.
She gave a speech in Kolkata on August 14.
She said that changing the government alone will not make India better.
Citizens must ask questions and hold their leaders accountable.
She wants politicians to hold town hall meetings where people can talk about their problems.
She also said communities should help keep neighbourhoods safe.
Families, schools and local groups all have a role in preventing crime.
She talked about her time at Tihar Jail, saying every prisoner has a human story.
She believes a new India will be built through the conscious choices of its citizens.
Kiran Bedi said India's transformation requires active citizen participation, not merely a change in government.
She called on elected representatives to hold regular town hall meetings and make their email addresses accessible to citizens.
Bedi, India's first woman IPS officer, delivered the inaugural Amrita Daga Memorial Lecture in Golpark on August 14.
She urged community participation in policing, involving families, schools, neighbourhoods and Resident Welfare Associations.
Drawing on her Tihar Jail experience, Bedi said rehabilitation must begin with recognising the human story behind every prisoner.
- Who
- Kiran Bedi, retired IPS officer, social activist and India's first woman IPS officer
- What
- Delivered the inaugural Amrita Daga Memorial Lecture, urging citizens to question those in power and demand accountability
- When
- August 14
- Where
- Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark
- Why
- To call for active citizen participation, transparency and community involvement in building a new India
- Speaker
- Kiran Bedi, retired IPS officer and social activist
- Event
- Inaugural Amrita Daga Memorial Lecture
- Lecture topic
- "A New India Will Rise"
- Date
- August 14
- Venue
- Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark
- Bedi's former role
- 24th lieutenant governor of Puducherry (May 28, 2016 – February 16, 2021)
- Amrita Daga
- Management consultant who died of brain cancer in April 2025 at age 54
- Organiser
- Daga family, planning an annual event