Sandip Patil, 39
Superintendent of Police

Soft spoken and slight, at first glance IPS officer Sandip Bhimrao Patil could pass off as a banker. What comes as a surprise then is Patil's reputation in the police force. At just 26, his first posting in 2006, as probationary officer, was at Ramnagar police station in naxal-infested Chandrapur district. And, he was welcomed with 1,000 threatening letters dropped at his police station. Undaunted, Patil set about finding the men who had written them and arresting them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Ever since, his fearlessness has earned him praise and tough postings.