Chandigarh: The Punjab government has appointed 1992-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Gaurav Yadav as the state’s regular Director General of Police (DGP), issuing an official notification formalising his appointment. Yadav had been serving as the acting or officiating DGP since July 4, 2022, when the then police chief, VK Bhawra, went on leave.
The appointment follows the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) forwarding a panel of three senior IPS officers to the state government for consideration. The Punjab government selected Yadav from the panel, bringing an end to his prolonged tenure as the state’s acting police chief.
Yadav’s appointment also follows judicial scrutiny of the process for selecting a regular DGP. Reports have linked the finalisation of his appointment to a push from the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the state to complete the process in accordance with the applicable procedure. Reports have also stated that he will have a minimum tenure of two years.
The decision formalises the leadership of the Punjab Police under an officer who has held several important positions in the state administration and police establishment. His career includes assignments in police intelligence and modernisation, as well as a stint as Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Who Is IPS Gaurav Yadav?
Gaurav Yadav is a 1992-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre who hails from the Naupedwa area of Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Born on April 16, 1969, he entered the police service after clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination as a direct-recruit officer.
Originally from Belapar village in the Naupedwa region, Yadav has spent much of his professional career in Punjab, where he has served in policing, intelligence, modernisation and senior administrative roles.
His appointment as regular DGP marks a new stage in a tenure that began with additional charge in July 2022. During the intervening period, he continued to lead the state police as the acting chief while the process for appointing a regular DGP remained unresolved.
Son of a Retired Army Colonel
Gaurav Yadav is the only son of the late Colonel Bhagwati Prasad Yadav, who served in the Indian Army. His family background is rooted in Belapar village in Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh.
Yadav has two daughters. Published profiles have reported that one is a doctor associated with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), while the other has been described in some reports as a state civil services officer. Other biographical accounts have described her as a medical professional. These details differ across the available profiles.
His upbringing and education took him through several cities in northern India, including Kanpur, Lucknow and Delhi. His academic background extends beyond the basic qualifications required for entry into the civil services, with reported degrees in engineering, public administration and journalism and mass communication.
Education: Engineering, Public Administration and Journalism
Yadav’s educational qualifications reflect a multidisciplinary academic background. Biographical profiles list a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.), a Master of Engineering (M.E.), a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Public Administration and a Ph.D. He has also been reported to hold a postgraduate qualification in Journalism and Mass Communication from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.
His education across Kanpur, Lucknow and Delhi preceded his entry into the IPS in 1992. Over the following decades, he held assignments involving police administration, intelligence, modernisation and coordination with the state government.
These qualifications and postings form part of the professional background of the officer now formally appointed to head the Punjab Police.
Gaurav Yadav’s IPS Career and Key Postings
Joined the IPS in 1992
Gaurav Yadav joined the Indian Police Service on October 11, 1992, as a direct-recruit officer of the Punjab cadre. His career has included operational policing responsibilities as well as senior administrative assignments.
Over more than three decades in service, he has worked in different branches of the Punjab Police and the state government, including roles related to intelligence, modernisation and executive administration.
Headed the Punjab Police Intelligence Wing
One of Yadav’s important assignments was heading the Intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police from 2016 to 2017. The role placed him in a key position within the state’s intelligence and security apparatus.
He has also served in the modernisation wing of the Punjab Police. This experience gave him exposure to administrative and organisational aspects of the force beyond conventional field policing.
Yadav also held several important positions during the tenure of the Akali Dal-BJP coalition government in Punjab, according to the supplied biographical information.
Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann
After the Aam Aadmi Party government came to power in Punjab, Yadav was appointed Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The assignment placed him in a senior administrative position close to the chief minister’s office. It also meant that his career included experience in government coordination and executive administration alongside his policing responsibilities.
His subsequent elevation to the acting DGP’s position in July 2022 brought him back to the forefront of the state’s police administration.
Acting DGP Since July 2022
Yadav was given the additional charge of DGP on July 4, 2022, after VK Bhawra, a 1987-batch IPS officer who was then heading the Punjab Police, proceeded on leave.
Following Bhawra’s departure from active charge, Yadav assumed responsibility for leading the state police as the officiating chief. The arrangement continued while the state’s regular DGP appointment remained pending.
According to the information provided, the state government had not initially submitted a panel for appointing a permanent DGP. The subsequent UPSC process resulted in a panel of three senior IPS officers being sent to Punjab, from which the state government selected Yadav.
His regular appointment therefore formalises the position he had occupied for more than four years. It also brings the state’s police leadership under a formally appointed DGP rather than an officer serving in an acting capacity.
UPSC Panel and the Process for a Regular DGP
The appointment of a state police chief involves a selection process under the applicable rules and procedures governing DGP appointments. The UPSC plays a role in empanelling eligible officers and forwarding a panel to the state government for selection.
In Yadav’s case, the UPSC forwarded a panel containing three senior IPS officers to the Punjab government. The state government then selected Yadav from that panel and issued the notification formalising his appointment.
The process had attracted attention because Yadav had continued as acting DGP since July 2022. The eventual appointment followed scrutiny of the state’s approach to finalising a regular police chief, including reported intervention by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The reported minimum tenure of two years is another significant aspect of the appointment. A fixed tenure is intended to provide continuity in the leadership of the state police, subject to the applicable legal and service provisions.
Empanelled for Director General-Level Posts at the Centre
Yadav’s career has also included consideration for senior positions at the Union government level. He was empanelled by the Government of India in February 2025 for Director General-level posts at the Centre, according to published biographical accounts.
Central empanelment is a career milestone for senior civil servants and police officers, making them eligible for consideration for specified senior-level assignments, subject to the relevant requirements and selection process.
His central empanelment came before his appointment as Punjab’s regular DGP and forms another part of his career record.
Awards and Recognition
Gaurav Yadav has received two prominent police service decorations during his career.
The Police Medal for Meritorious Service was awarded to him in 2008. The medal recognises meritorious service in the police forces.
He was subsequently awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2015. This decoration recognises distinguished service in policing.
The two awards form part of his professional record after decades in the IPS and before his formal appointment as Punjab’s regular police chief.
What His Appointment Means for Punjab Police
Yadav’s appointment formalises the leadership of the Punjab Police after more than four years under an acting DGP arrangement. Having served in intelligence, modernisation and senior administrative roles, he brings experience from different parts of the state’s policing and governance systems to the office.
The UPSC panel process and the reported judicial push to finalise the appointment also place the decision in the context of the procedure for appointing state police chiefs. With the government issuing the notification and Yadav taking over as regular DGP, the state now has a formally appointed head of police with a reported minimum tenure of two years.
His journey from Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh to the top police post in Punjab is also a notable feature of his career. From his entry into the IPS in 1992 to his service as acting DGP from July 2022 and subsequent appointment as regular chief, Yadav’s career has spanned operational policing, intelligence, modernisation and senior government administration.
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