For senior IPS officer Ashok Kumar Patnaik, receiving the President’s Police medal on Thursday was a special occasion made more memorable. He was conferred the honour by none other than his father-in-law, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

As the name of 49-year-old Mr Patnaik was called, the prime minister, who was here to address the top police brass at a function organised by the Intelligence Bureau, was beaming. After presenting the citation and the medal, Dr Singh patted Patnaik on his back and exchanged some words briefly.

As the police officer walked back to his seat, CBI Director Vijay Shanker and CRPF Director General S I S Ahmed extended their hands, congratulating the officer who is a joint director in the Intelligence Bureau. Patnaik, a 1983-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre, is married to the prime minister’s second daughter — Daman — who works with an NGO.