Chhaya Sharma, a decorated officer of the Indian Police Service and the erstwhile Deputy Commissioner Police (DCP), South Delhi who cracked the Nirbhaya case, has been awarded the prestigious 'Courage and Leadership' award instituted by McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, USA.
The award was presented to her at the Sedona Forum 2019, at Sedona, Arizona, USA on May 4, 2019. This award is given each year to honor an individual or group who has stood unwaveringly for fundamental values and has inspired the world through acts of selfless courage.
The recipients are selected based on their acts of personal courage on behalf of human rights, humanitarian compassion, justice, freedom and human dignity.
A resolute guardian of human rights, Chhaya has led teams in detection and investigation of sensitive criminal cases and protection of human rights during her career spanning over 19 years. Sharma's policing has consistently reflected victim-centric approach through her numerous investigations of serious crimes, particularly against women and children.
Her stellar contribution, however, has been leading the investigation of the infamous Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case of December 2012 in New Delhi. The charge-sheet in this case, filed in a record 18 day, withstood various stages of judicial scrutiny all the way up to the Indian Supreme Court and resulted in conviction with maximum punishment.
Early in her career, Sharma successfully led several police operations for rescuing minors from commercial sexual exploitation for which she has received Commendation from the High Court of Delhi in 2001.
Sharma's investigation and prosecution of human trafficking finds a prominent mention in a research published by the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi in 2005. This research credited her for causing a paradigm shift in law enforcement in the human trafficking of women and children in India. She is currently posted as Inspector General (investigation) of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
