Hyderabad, Aug 6 (IANS): A total of 178 officer trainees, including 34 foreigners, passed out of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) National Police Academy here on Friday.

The Dikshant Parade of the 72nd batch of officer trainees, including 144 Indian Police Service (IPS) probationers, was held at the Academy on Friday.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai took the salute at the Diskhant Parade, which was led by Ranjeeta Sharma, the all-round topper of the batch.

Dikshant Parade marks the culmination of the basic training of the IPS officers at the Academy.

The batch with 33 women, also included 23 IPS probationers. The foreign officer trainees were from Nepal, Maldives, Mauritius and Bhutan.

There were 12 trainees from Bhutan, 10 from Nepal, 7 from Maldives and 5 from Mauritius.

Speaking on the occasion, Nityanand Rai said the country is facing numerous challenges due to terrorism, communalism and crimes against women and children. He urged the officer trainees to take up these challenges with vigour by keeping the national Tricolour and service to the society in mind.

Rai urged them to uphold justice and freedom of the society and provide transformational leadership to the police force.

"People of this nation wish that you work on the pillars of the Constitution, and it is possible only when you work with transparency, integrity, humility, courage, commitment, teamwork and have the courage to stand for truth. If you want to be a good police officer, your attitude and approach, persona and behaviour should be of the highest standards," he said.

The Union minister hailed the contributions of the police force. "There is great contribution of police officers in keeping the nation strong and united. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, they have rendered great service to the people of the country. More than 2,000 police officers have laid down their lives in the fight against the pandemic. I express my wholehearted gratitude and condolences to their families," he added.

Nityanand Rai presented The Prime Minister's Baton and Home Ministry's Revolver to Ranjeeta Sharma for being the best all-round probationer. She is also the first woman IPS officer trainee ever to win the IPS Association's Sword of Honour, which is awarded for best performance in outdoor training.

The Minister also presented trophies to several other officer trainees for exemplary performance during the training at the Academy.

Atul Karwal, Director of the Academy, in his welcome address explained the various training sessions and modules. He said the officer trainees are at the threshold of their challenging careers and they will flourish and bloom into officers with high standards of professionalism and sterling values.

Earlier, before the parade the Union minister laid a wreath and paid homage to the martyrs of the Indian Police Service who laid down their lives in the service of the nation and also paid tribute to India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.