India, Sept. 15 -- On October 31, 2019, a gleaming 17-storey glass-and-concrete tower rose above Jai Singh Road in central Delhi, opposite the domes of Bangla Sahib Gurdwara. It was more than just another office block in the Capital's skyline. For the first time ever, the Delhi Police had a home of its own.

The building, constructed at a cost of Rs.286 crore on over 8 acres, was inaugurated by Union home minister Amit Shah on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary. It consolidated, under one roof, the offices of the police commissioner and the heads of all major units, with space for operations, residences, an auditorium, and even a media lounge. To a force that had spent 71 years borrowing space, it was a long-awaited move.

Befor...