The document discusses the implementation of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) and other IT systems in Karnataka state police under the leadership of Sanjay Sahay. It describes how Sahay oversaw the training of over 1400 police personnel, with some receiving specialized training to become system administrators. Through his hands-on leadership and prioritization of training, Karnataka became a leading state in CCTNS implementation. The success was due to strategies like acquiring talented police staff, developing robust training models, providing compensation and motivation, and balancing stakeholder needs.

1. The Government of India has
introduced Crime and Criminal
Tracking Network System [CCTNS]
and Common Integrated Police
Application [CIPA] and various other
systems to make the task of policing
easier and bring citizen-centricity
more in focus. For instance, through
the National Crime Record Bureau
[NCRB], crime tracking has become
much simpler. Systems are in place to
ensure protection from any internal
or external interference. Some states,
having proactive leadership, have
already begun to harness the potential
of Information and Communication
Technology [ICT] to bring about
change. With leadership driving the
change, such states were clearly at an
advantage. A case in point is
Karnataka. This article traces the
leadership role of the IPS officer who
is credited with the CCTNS mission in
Karnataka Sri Sanjay Sahay, IPS, IGP,
Karnataka. This article is about the
journey to fulfill the promise he made
to himself and his department.
Keywords eGovernanace, ICT-enabled
change, Leadership and drive,
Karnataka Police IT implementation
ICT-Enabled Change in Indian Police:
A Case of leadership and drive in
Karnataka India is a country of over a
billion people vying with each other
for a better life and existence. Crime
rates are high and the Police force in
India has the not-so-envious task
[among many other things] of
preventing crime, tracking and
nabbing criminals who may escape to
any part of the world to find a safe
haven and plan another strike. There
is also a very high demand for police
activities, which include counter-
terrorism activities, VIP security, etc.
Needless to say, pressure on police
stations is mounted by those affected
by the crimes and criminal activities.
Apart from tracking crimes and
criminals, the police force also takes
care of a host of other related duties
Leadership Case Study
By TAPMI, Manipal
ICT-Enabled Change in Indian Police:
A case of leadership and drive in Karnataka
Prof. Jaba Mukherjee Gupta *
T. A. Pai Management Institute
Prof. Vinit Thakur

2. to maintain public peace and order. In
this situation, having access to
information is crucial. IT has provided
solutions by which the information
may not only be harnessed but can be
used to analyze the data, produce
relevant reports and act speedily to
complete crime-related activities. The
volumes of work expected from the
police department is extremely high
and with the shortage of manpower,
taking care of entering the data
manually and maintaining it in
acceptable shape is next to impossible.
In the absence of the IT systems, it
was a constant struggle to find
manpower to record manually and
carry out the task of maintaining law
and order among other important
tasks of the police. The efficiency with
which the police perform is a function
of speed and accuracy. Information
Systems tailor-made to the needs of
the police provided the solution.
The Government of India therefore
decided to introduce Crime and
Criminal Tracking Network System
[CCTNS] and Common Integrated
Police Application [CIPA] and various
other ways of making the police tasks
easier and bringing citizen-centricity
more in focus. For instance, through
the National Crime Record Bureau
[NCRB], State Crime Record Bureaux
[SCRB] and District Crime Record
Bureaux [DCRB] crime tracking has
become much simpler. Systems are in
place to make sure that the FIR
lodged by a citizen is entered into the
system and cannot be taken off
thereby ensuring protection from any
internal or external interference. Some
states, having proactive leadership,
had already begun to harness the
potential of Information and
Communication Technology [ICT] to
bring about change. A case in point is
Karnataka, where Police IT software
was introduced successfully. This
article traces the role of the IPS
officer who is credited with the
mission.
Sri Sanjay Sahay, IPS, Inspector
General of Police Department of
Karnataka, was given the charge of
the Police Computer Wing [PCW] of
Karnataka State Police with the
expectation of making a turnaround
in the ERP creation and successful
deployment of the Police IT software
in a year’s time [2010]. He had been
hand-picked on account of the

3. department’s immense faith and trust
in his abilities. He has been involved in
the entire process of technology
integration, manpower training and
deployment in the state of Karnataka.
After taking on the responsibility, he
took stock of the situation. Things
were at ground zero waiting for his
initiative and action plan. There were
huge resource gaps that needed his
attention. It would be a challenge to
get the task started, but Mr. Sahay
loved challenges. He believed that life
runs on the dictum, Power is the
ability to make things happen. From
his determined journey to the school
of his choice, St. Xavier’s School,
Bokaro to St. Stephen’s college he had
amazed everyone. This was even more
laudable as he had started from a
small district town, Daltonganj in
Jharkhand. Later, being selected as an
IPS officer, allotted to the Karnataka
cadre, there was no looking back for
him. Success was the only way ahead.
Turning back was not an option.
The Crime and Criminal Tracking
Network System [CCTNS] had already
been announced by the Central
Government. CCTNS was becoming a
buzzword in the proactive police
circles and the IT industry across the
country. Mr. Sanjay Sahay had to find
solutions for Karnataka. Not only did
he succeed, but Karnataka went on to
become one of the lead states in the
country. Subsequently he was invited
to make presentations at several high
level gatherings, meetings, workshops,
symposiums, and to the IT industry
itself, to share his experiences with the
rest of the country. His outreach
ranged from being a regular speaker
at CCTNS training sessions at Delhi to
HCL CXO Summit at Udaipur to
Indian Institute of Management,
Bangalore. This article is about the
journey to fulfil the promise he made
to himself and his department. It
traces his role as a leader.
CCTNS in Karnataka
Under the leadership of Mr. Sanjay
Sahay, Karnataka is today one of the
lead states in the country [along with
AP and Gujarat] in terms of CCTNS
implementation. The mission of Police
Computer Wing [PCW] in Karnataka
is “to implement the computerization
of police department in the entire
State of Karnataka and to integrate
technology into the police department
and leverage technology for better and

4. efficient functioning of Karnataka
State Police.”
As the lead state, Karnataka has a
special status and was allowed to
deploy or continue to use the software
of choice, as long as the required
information was made available to the
Government of India and the
approved citizen-centric services were
integrated. Mr. Sanjay Sahay came up
with a model that integrated CCTNS
and Police IT into the system to
complement each other.
Figure: 1 Police IT – CCTNS
Composite Model
Under the leadership of Sri Sanjay
Sahay, who took up the challenge of
implementing Police IT and the
CCTNS in the state, Karnataka
became the lead state for the CCTNS
project. How did it succeed while
others struggled to come to grips with
CCTNS/Police IT? His attitude towards
the information age was revealed by
his belief that ICT “takes the stress out
of the system.” One of the key reasons
for failure of projects has been
identified as poor planning. In an
article written about the Karnataka
CCTNS experience, Mr was an area of
strength.
“The Karnataka Composite Model of
Computerization is a need based
model to create and run the systems
in perfect shape and then deploy the
software on the infrastructure and
trained manpower thus created. This
entails a minimum of a skeletal data
centre, creation of a uniform
broadband networking [no integration
issues], anti-virus and facility
management services, hiring of
trainers, multi-pronged training—
basic and application based for all end
users, specialized training for system
administrators, multi organizational
workforce, ERP End to End Software
Solution and above all perfect
synchronization of all activities and
processes.”
The Strategy used in Implementation
of Police IT
1. Talent Acquisition within the police
force The crucial point of
differentiation was in the recognition
that the personnel would have to be
drawn and trained from within the
police force as they knew how the
police force worked and could be
depended on to ensure that the
software worked the police way.

5. Among those who were being trained
to run the Police IT software, some
were technical personnel—some non-
technical officers who had been asked
to help out. Constables were selected
for training. There were some younger
constables with qualifications like
MCA, etc. With 1439 locations of
around 75 units had to be covered—
this was challenging. In order to fulfil
the need for personnel to man the
Technical infrastructure, which was
supposed to help build the entire ICT-
enabled change, help was sought from
the senior authorities. This was
granted.
2. Robust Training Models for the
operating staff
a. The training imparted: 48 hour
Basic Computer Awareness Training
Police IT Application Module Based
Training Specialized Training for
System Administrators Training of
Trainers Training of Handholding Staff
Evolution- training of Senior Police
Managers in Change Management,
Make them Change Agents
b. The staff to be trained were put
through rigorous training 75 Nodal
offices were set up –and a policy
framed. 75 nodal officers were
nominated out of the serving senior
officers to the district, in so many
they were the district SPs—1 per
unit. Their task was to supervise and
monitor the implementation—pre-
cursor to the rollout, deployment—
usage—consolidation and coordination
of the activities of all service
providers/vendors. At a later stage the
Nodal officers would take charge of
administration of non-software
related issues. The User Acceptance
Test Team Leader would take of the
deployment of that particular module.
c. Next level training: System
Administrators—75 of them were put
through a customized training
program and then completed MCSE
[Microsoft Certified Systems
Engineer], of which 54 have already
complete their CCNA certification and
others are in the process of taking the
test shortly. 350 candidates took the
exams and then 75 were selected
after rigorous training—complete with
weekly test and monthly tests. CCNA
was the next stage—5 of them would
be selected and dedicated to data
centre management. They would be
put through a small course and
exposure to data centre management.

6. They are likely to be selected from
among the constables. This thought
process resulted in 8 MCSE certified
police staff managing the Data Centre,
besides the Data Centre Head, who is
also one of the products of the same
training.
The training is customized for the
police force— it is very different from
the generic courses. This was done
with the specific intent of creating
specialized courses for the Police Dept.
How were the police personnel
convinced and motivated to undertake
the training? Mr. Sanjay Sahay
explained that he had taken personal
interest in ensuring that this process
of training was accepted by all. He
had made it clear to his men that
they were the specially chosen ones
and would have to deliver. He took
good care of them with regard to
stay, transportation, etc. However, he
had made it clear that they would
have to overcome all their personal
problems to focus on the training,
which was to be a global benchmark
for the Dept. Nothing less was
acceptable to him. He believed in
keeping a personal one-on-one
contact with his trainees, while being
at the same time very demanding
about the standards to be met. This
gave him results beyond his
expectation. All 75 officers were
successfully trained and certified by
Microsoft.
Cisco Certified Network Associate
(CCNA®) validates the ability to
install, configure, operate, and
troubleshoot medium-size route and
switched networks, including
implementation and verification of
connections to remote sites in a WAN.
CCNA curriculum includes basic
mitigation of security threats,
introduction to wireless networking
concepts and terminology, and
performance-based skills. This new
curriculum also includes (but is not
limited to) the use of these protocols:
IP, Enhanced Interior Gateway
Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Serial Line
Interface Protocol Frame Relay,
Routing Information Protocol Version
2 (RIPv2), VLANs, Ethernet, access
control lists (ACLs)
Apart from his personal drive, interest
and commitment, which became an
example, the training was done using
standard methods—and using the
local language which everyone is

7. familiar with. Language barriers were
thus removed and the policemen
worked in a zone of comfort. The
persistence of the leadership to fight
back resistance to acceptance of
technology yielded results as the end
users started appreciating the ease of
functioning in the new system.
Undeniably it was forced upon them
to start with but as the advantages of
software started exploding the end
users had an experience which they
had not imagined. The official
functioning slowly moved on to the
digital level. They hat an ERP could
deliver. The rigorous application
training with a combination of
persuasion and aggression was the
ideal formula for change management
creating an enabling environment for
deploying and use the software. The
approach of the leader was to achieve
inclusive growth by identifying
internal talent and upgrading their
knowledge and skills through rigorous
training. Those who were selected
knew that this was a rare
opportunity. The support and
encouragement they received gave
them greater confidence.
3. Adequate compensation and benefit
schemes All the immediate needs were
taken care of including stay and
transport for the training period. The
motivating factor for the trainees was
also the knowledge that they would
drive the ICT-enabled change in the
entire state.
4. High level of motivation from
leadership Sri Sanjay Sahay was
personally involved at all stages of the
training. Apart from the selection of
the training package and the trainers,
he handpicked the candidates for this
training and spent time interacting
with them after every training
module. The involvement of a senior
leader acted as a morale booster and
made a big difference to the final
outcome.
5. Balanced stakeholder management
Sri Sanjay Sahay was completely
committed to the task and said that
he would visit and/or talk to anyone
who could make a difference to this
mission [while not compromising his
dignity or ethical code of conduct]. He
ensured that all the stakeholders
understood the goal and worked
towards it. There were regular
meetings that helped in building

8. relationships across the departments—
getting people to pitch in for the
ultimate goal of implementing CCTNS.
He used his network of personal and
professional relationships and created
support systems—where people loved
to collaborate in his projects and came
together to help. Academics also came
forward to help. Anyone who could
provide intellectual support in IT
related knowledge transfer and/or the
project at hand was welcomed.
6. Choosing appropriate
implementation partner Wipro was
the implementation partner in this
project. Instead of depending on the
partner blindly, he had put in place
checks and reviews so that he was in
control.
7. Interacting with intellectuals
[intelligentsia] Even though he had a
robust plan in place and was
constantly interacting with the trainer
and the trainees to ensure that there
was rigour, Sri Sanjay Sahay did not
rest on his laurels. He interacted with
professionals in the field and faculty
members from reputed management
institutes on a regular basis. He also
read significant management books to
keep himself updated. In spite of his
busy schedule, taking time out for
these interactions and keeping the
options to examine, think, critique and
renew his efforts based on insights,
made this leader different.
8. Role of leadership Once he had
taken on the responsibility, Sri Sanjay
Sahay studied the situation, identified
the gaps in the requirement and was
completely in control, whether it
concerned the technology aspects, the
process or the people. To cite an
example, one of the findings of the
audit report for eCops was that the
training had not been taken seriously.
It was left to the vendor. As a result
the training did not prepare specific
individuals for the ICT operations as
expected. In the case of Karnataka,
the scenario was very different. He
selected the candidates, the training
and ensured that the vendor delivered
what was expected.
a. Leading from the front, and
sending out a strong message that the
training was to be taken seriously
made a big difference. Selected
candidates were put through rigorous
training for MCSE and had to clear
examinations for certification. This left
a lasting impact on the trainees and

9. they brought the same commitment
to project rollout and implementation.
b. People Management: Sri Sanjay
Sahay treated the officers and staff
working under him with dignity but
was a no-nonsense leader when it
came to being completely focused on
the task at hand. Anyone who was
disinterested was free to leave the
training. The policemen selected for
the training were treated like the
lucky chosen ones who would make
the difference in the implementation
of CCTNS in Karnataka. At the same
time he did not give in to weaknesses,
whims and fancies. The men were told
that they were on an important
mission and small personal problems
should not come in the way. In other
words, he demanded complete loyalty
to the cause and commitment to
complete the work. This spirit of
commitment was the impetus that
drove the project and saw it through.
He reiterated that loyalty to the
Department should not be
compromised by lucrative offers from
other quarters after the training, as
the Government had invested heavily
on the trainees.
9. Top management commitment
[political/bureaucratic] commitment
In the role of the leader who had
taken on the onerous task of rolling
out/implementing CCTNS-Police IT in
Karnataka, Sri Sanjay Sahay had the
support of top management in the
Karnataka Police and the State
machinery which was geared up to
help him achieve his ends. The DGP,
who had selected him to carry out this
task, had taken a commitment from
him about the start and the end date
of the implementation of Police IT. His
commitment was that the task would
begin on January 1, 2010 and end on
December 31, 2010. This “time lock-
in” galvanized the activities towards
the fulfilment of the goal. The top
management had complete faith in his
ability and helped him to achieve his
target and having given this
assurance, Sri Sanjay Sahay dedicated
himself to the task. He was also ready
to seek help whenever needed [e.g. He
wrote to the higher authority asking
for external help to initiate the IT and
Systems training and this was
granted].
As Mr. Sanjay Sahay reflects,
“Projects fail because they are not

10. dynamic—static things do not work—
one should be able to integrate
everything that is useful.” He has in
many ways done just that by
balancing the technology, process and
people aspects; networking with
professionals, drawing lessons from the
failures in other states. The Karnataka
experience has shown that complete
and positive involvement of the leader
in the complex task of implementing
CCTNS has made a significant impact.
The Leadership Imperative The role of
leadership in a venture like the CCTNS
implementation in Karnataka is
crucial. How did Mr. Sanjay Sahay
succeed? There were four crucial
factors that made a difference:
1. Vision—beginning with the end in
mind During the interviews with him
it was evident that the leadership role
was of the essence: “Internalization
and having a vision of the entire
structure—the ability to see the larger
picture—is crucial for the leader.” He
began with the goal in mind and kept
his focus on the objective at all times.
This helped him to overcome hurdles:
“One has to be versatile so that the
system cannot limit you...cross the
boundaries...skills and passion should
act as the antidote to the system.”
2. Communicating for “buy-in” —
effective in bringing in change Mr.
Sanjay Sahay was able to
communicate this vision to the
trainees he had selected for the
successful implementation of the
project. His presence, interaction and
commitment helped to bring them on
board and make them a part of the
process. The ownership of this project
was possible because of the buy-in
achieved through effective
communication. Involving the
subordinates and making them feel a
part of the change process, helped to
build solidarity also. The leader should,
as Mr. Sahay said, “...work with all
levels—a subordinate may have a
wonderful approach to resolve an
issue. The person is recognized and he
is empowered and feels more loyal.
Thus there is an integration of legacy
support system.”
3. Networking with professionals—
willing to unlearn and relearn
Understanding the importance of
interdependence in the modern
workplace, he was ready to network
with other departments and other

11. professionals. This ability to network
with other professionals who were
from diverse areas helped Mr. Sahay
to achieve the desired results
effectively. There was also readiness to
unlearn the redundant and learn from
the environment which put him a very
special position. As Mr. Sahay said,
“Your knowledge base should be far
beyond your organization. Collaborate
with people outside, translate
collaboration framework into a
workable model and get it to work for
you. My reading has certainly helped,
but it is the drive, network and
collaboration that have helped most.”
“Networking—working with good
people who lend support has been a
rejuvenating experience. By involving
everyone in the task one is able to
work on several areas together...and
succeed in doing the work of several
professionals together!”
4. Strong Will to Succeed—no room
for failure The strong will to succeed
against all odds was the most
important driving factor in the case. A
focused approach with the drive to
bring about the envisioned change in
spite of barriers helped this leader to
succeed leaving several other states
behind. Using an image to explain the
force that must work to bring success,
Mr. Sahay said, “Barriers are
temporary in nature....the strength of
a surge leaves the embankment
broken, engulfs everything –
unstoppable in its pursuit!” He believes
that being action-oriented is crucial
for success.

12. Conclusion
Exemplary leadership as shown by Mr. Sanjay Sahay is the need of the hour and can help
transform our nation. The study shows that leadership and drive coupled with the will to
succeed can bring change even in domains that are run by systems that have been
suspicious of change in the past. There are several states struggling to implement CCTNS
successfully. Some of these lessons would be useful for them. Looking at the issue from a
leadership angle, one may conclude:
1. Managing people and getting them to accept the change proposed/implemented is
crucial for the success of a project—this is perhaps the most challenging in the present
context
2. Understanding how technology can be used to find solution to problems is essential;
3. There is also an imminent need for sound processes that will help in effective
implementation.
Therefore, the ability to manage technology, processes and people would help in
successful implementation of this eGovernance project. The involvement of the leader in
the change process would certainly help to bring about the desired results.
Along the journey to the realization of the vision for change, the paths may be blocked
by hurdles, but a determined leader is not daunted by them. The ability to garner the
support of all the positive forces in the environment makes the journey more meaningful
and fulfilling. A leader who works with the people, is able develop a feeling of pride and
ownership among them. This in turn helps them to align with the vision or the ultimate
objective of the organization or Department. Thus the vision is fulfilled by the willing
contribution from the stakeholders.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the support and immense help received from Sri Sanjay
Sahay, IGP, Karnataka to write this article.
We also thank the T. A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal for supporting this research
venture in eGovernance.

13. References
Bhatnagar, S. (2009). Unlocking E-Government Potential: Concepts, Cases and Practical Insights (1st ed.),
India: Sage Publications
Interview 1 with Sri Sanjay Sahay, IPS, IG (PCW) on June 26, 2010
Interview 2 with Sri Sanjay Sahay, IPS, IG (PCW) on Feb. 19, 2011
Home [police]/Information Technology and Communications Department, Information Technology Audit of
eCops—an e-Governance initiative by Government. (2004) Available at:
http://www.icisa.cag.gov.in/Printed%20reports/State%20Reports/Andhra%20Pradesh/IT%20Audit%20of%
20eCops%20-%20an%20e%20Gov%20initiative%20of%20Andhra%20Pradesh.pdf Accessed June 20, 2010
Karnataka State Police, Police Computer Wing Home page. Available at:
http://www.ksp.gov.in/pcw/home/faq-general.php Accessed June 20, 2010.
Kotter, J. P. (2002) The Heart of Change, Harvard Business School Press: Boston, MA,
Sahay, S. (2010), “CCTNS in Karnataka—an Experience worth Sharing.” Network for Improved Policing