Meet Our Senior Manager – Research | Devyani Srivastava

Can you tell us a little more about yourself and your journey so far?

I’ve grown up in three cities – Lucknow, Bombay and Delhi. Having working parents and the early exposure to different cultures meant that my sisters and I, not only quickly learnt to think independently but also developed an innate respect and nuanced understanding of diversity and equality. In a sense, I inherited a spirit of public service that only further deepened during my graduation degree.

I studied political science at the Hindu College (Delhi University). Here the exposure offered a rich academic discourse and engagement with political theories in the classroom juxtaposing with cut-throat caste politics and feudal attitudes influencing democratic processes outside. This brought alive the importance of, but also challenges to, realizing justice, equality and inclusion in a deeply divided society like ours. There was no looking back. I knew then that contributing to improved realization of these values will be my guiding goals in whatever career I choose. I pursued a master’s degree in international relations that introduced me to critical political thought, research methodologies and security studies. Over the years, I’ve also attended short training courses on empirical research, human rights law and criminal justice reform.

Could you share something about your prior work experience?

I come with 17 years of work experience in policy research and advocacy in the non-profit sector. Upon completing my master’s degree, I worked for a foreign and security policy think tank for over three years where my research focused on studying internal insurgencies in India and South Asia. The work involved extensive travel across South Asia with the opportunity to engage with local civil society, scholars, and researchers.

Thereafter, I joined the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, an advocacy organization headquartered in New Delhi, where I worked for 13 years on issues including access to justice, democratic policing, police oversight, diversity in police institutions, custodial violence, arrest safeguards, crime data and police reform. The work involved legislative and policy advocacy (particularly police acts and security-related legislations), evidence-based research, legal awareness, and capacity building.

Recent projects

Some of the recent projects I’ve led include a review of Police Complaints Authorities in India (2022-23); collaborating with the Karnataka Police to assess and strengthen the role of policewomen in the state (2021-23 at NLSIU); and collaborating with the Madhya Pradesh Police to assess the special police unit on crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (2017-18).

During 2018-2019, I also had the opportunity to be part of a national survey exercise on crime victimisation and public perception commissioned by the Government of India and led by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), an exercise that though could not get completed due to the pandemic but offered several learnings in the process on methods of measuring crime experiences.

Other issues I’ve researched include an analysis of police budgets, early access to legal representation for suspects and arrestees, violence in police custody, and gaps in availing accountability provisions in special legislations such as the Atrocities Act to hold police accountable for misconduct. I feel fortunate to be among a small pool of researchers studying policing in the country and hope to be able to advance this knowledge at NLSIU.

Tell us more about your new role at NLS.

The position of senior manager, research, is a new post at NLSIU and functions under the office of the Dean Research. The main motivation for creating this position is to provide an institutional anchor for expanding legal and policy research that is interdisciplinary, evidence-based and collaborative. It involves working closely with the University’s research centres, chairs and faculty at all levels to support the development, implementation, and outreach of research activities in a manner that meets internal and international standards of research. Our aim is to ensure a stimulating environment where research on pressing socio-legal issues is facilitated through multi-sectoral projects, durable partnerships with stakeholders (governments; civil society; educational institutions) and cross-learning between faculty, researchers, and students.

With several years of experience both in empirical research and project management (including at NLSIU), I believe these insights and learnings will help me shape this role in a meaningful way. I look forward to working closely with faculty members and research staff in achieving our goals.

Alongside this role, I also intend to further research on policing and criminal justice with a focus on issues related to diversity, organizational reform and procedural justice.

Will you continue with any other research work at the University?

From 2021 till 2023, I led a project on women police in Karnataka based at NLSIU. Implemented in partnership with the Karnataka State Police, the project involved an assessment of roles and challenges facing police women at different levels with the aim of recommending policy improvements. Based on the findings, NLSIU is now working to design and deliver training to middle level police supervisory officers on issues related to gender diversity and inclusion within the police. The training sessions intend to facilitate a dialogue with police leaders on best ways of driving cultural change particularly at the police station level to ensure a respectful workspace for all.

Are there any personal interests you enjoy outside of work?

For now, my daughter’s interests are my interests. She is 8 years old. Any free time outside of work is spent with her, drawing, painting, doing puzzles, discussing history, music, novels or playing sports. The amount I’m learning, and re-learning, in the process is magical.