16-07-2025
IPS officer won shooting gold at World Police Games. Army dreams broke, Olympic aim alive
A 2011-batch IPS officer, Singh works as Joint Director General at the Competition Commission of India. But once office hours end, it's all about hitting the bullseye. The obsession began when he was seven and his father gifted him a rifle. Through his training at the National Defence Academy, the Indian Military Academy, and finally into the Indian Police Service, shooting has been the one constant— even through years of major personal setbacks.
'I practised for two hours every day in my hotel room. It was a 75-minute-long competition where I fired 60 shots. This gold medal is just one step closer to my Olympic dreams,' said Singh, gesturing toward the indoor shooting range set up in the backyard of his Delhi residence.
New Delhi: In his hotel room in the US, 41-year-old IPS officer Ingit Pratap Singh taped a target to the wall, picked up his rifle, and began dry firing. It was his quick jugaad after the range where he was supposed to practise for the World Police Games was shut. He went on to win gold at the 10-metre air rifle event in Birmingham, Alabama, earlier this month. Now he's setting his sights on even bigger targets.
'Shooting is my childhood passion which inspired me to join the forces. But when fate didn't allow me to wear olive green, I moved to khaki,' said Singh, who could not join the Army due to multiple health complications. 'The goal was set in childhood, but my training shaped me throughout the years for this.'
His gold at the World Police Games follows a bronze at the same event in 2023. Now, he's preparing for the National Shooting Championship Competitions, slated for November or December. When he's not at work, the new father follows a gruelling training regimen.
'I live a boring life to achieve this dream. I skip family functions, give very limited time to my family, and spend most of my free time on the shooting range,' said Singh, holding his 6-month-old daughter. 'I practise a minimum of two hours every day, and on weekends it expands to 8 hours.'
But the IPS officer with Olympic ambitions came to competitive shooting only a few years ago.
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One dream ends, another begins
Ingit Pratap Singh's shooting dream began on the roof of his childhood home. Every day, he and his father, an IRS officer, would line up Dalda dabbas and practise firing at them.
But there were no facilities to pursue shooting competitively at school, and so he took up other sports such as hockey, cricket, and volleyball. The rifle stayed in the background, but it was still his first love, and he was always certain he'd join a uniformed service. Everything was going to plan until a series of unexpected blows.
'I joined NDA in 2001, but after seven months of training, I got some health issues due to which I had to leave midway,' said Singh.
He returned to Delhi, completed his graduation, and once again pursued the armed services, this time by joining the Indian Military Academy in 2003. But his luck failed him again. He developed abdominal TB and had to leave training once more. After recovering from that, he rejoined, but tore his knee ligament. It was at this point that he decided to pivot to the civil services.
'It was the most difficult time for me. I kept thinking, why is this happening to me? I took a break and prepared for UPSC. My first choice was the Indian Foreign Service, but I got Indian Police Service. I think I was meant for khaki,' said Singh.
From there, things began to turn around. In 2011, during his IPS training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, he broke a 17-year-old record in high jump.
'The record was set by one IPS officer from Punjab. I jumped 1.60 metres and broke the record—it's still there,' Singh added.
Singh threw himself into every sport during IPS training, but the shooting range was where he felt most at home. At the National Police Academy, trainees practised in pairs, teaching each other. The partner Singh trained went on to become the best shooter in the batch.
'We were buddies in training, and Ingit was my shooting teacher. He is the most disciplined person. He taught me so well,' recalled Singh's batchmate, who didn't want to be named. 'We used to feel bad when we didn't perform well, and before each shooting session, we were always excited and talking about it.'
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Passion, practice, and policing
The back garden of Singh's home now houses a shooting range, where his shoes, rifles, and gear are always ready for him. He spends at least two hours in the morning and two in the evening practising there, and more when a competition is near.
But it was only in 2015, during a posting to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, that he found the time to return to shooting properly. He set up a small range and began practising regularly with an air pistol again. He hasn't stopped since.
'When I was later posted as DCP South West Delhi, I didn't stop shooting. I used to finish my official duties and then practise at my residence,' he said.
In 2022, he decided to take the next step: professional training. Nothing but the best would do. Despite being based in Delhi, he signed up at an academy in Panvel, Maharashtra, run by Suma Shirur, who had competed at the 2004 Olympics.
'I talked to a friend about it. He got me connected to Suma Shirur ma'am. One has to complete a 22–24 session programme, which takes a year. I completed 15–16 sessions,' said Singh.
It meant a hectic travel schedule. Singh would take a flight out to attend classes at Lakshya Shooting Club in Panvel on weekends and then return to Delhi to continue his official duties during the week.
His dedication stood out, said Smita Kamble, head coach at Lakshya Shooting Club.
'Shirur ma'am used to train him, and later he practised under me. When he was in Delhi, he would send pictures and videos of his posture and practice, and I used to guide him from here. Now we are focusing on the upcoming nationals,' she added.
Once the formal training started, so did the competitions. Singh won a silver medal at the Delhi State Shooting Championship in 2022. Through it all, his wife Shweta helped him stay on track. The couple have fixed strict timings for everything.
'Our daughter is six months old, so I give her at least one hour a day. We only go out once a month on weekends. I know it is a boring life, but I have to be disciplined to achieve the dream,' said Singh, as his wife nodded beside him in their living room, where all his medals are framed on the wall.
Singh's Olympic obsession runs deep. He even named his dog 'Rio' after the Rio Olympics.
'I grew up watching the Olympic Games, and in my childhood, I used to think that one day I would also go there. When someone asked me how old I was, I used to say I'm 10 Olympics old,' said Singh, while showing childhood photos of himself holding a rifle.
So far, Singh has borne most of the expenses of his shooting journey himself. For the recent World Police Games, he found one sponsor who covered half the trip's costs. He's hoping to get full sponsorship eventually.
For now, he's grateful that his current posting gives him enough room to keep up with his training schedule.
'The department has supported me. My seniors didn't assign me more responsibilities beyond my official ones. I asked for this deputation because in this post, I get proper weekends and national holidays. I'll need more time for nationals,' said Singh.
In the thick of preparations for competitions, his practice can stretch to eight hours a day.
'All this is part of the journey. My final destination is the Olympics, and to reach there, I will have to achieve many milestones,' said Singh, flashing his gold medal.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
