The 1991 batch senior IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Mr Alok Sharma has been appointed as the new director of Special Protection Group (SPG). He is currently serving as additional director general in the SPG.
Founded in 1988, SPG is a government agency whose sole responsibility is protecting the Prime Minister of India and, in some cases, his or her family. It was formed by an Act of the Parliament of India.
He has been overseeing the force after SPG director Arun Kumar Sinha died at a Gurugram hospital on September 6, this year. Mr Sinha was the longest-serving chief of the SPG, from 2016 to 2023.
An order issued by the personnel ministry stated, “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as the SPG’s director from the date of assumption of charge of the post and until further orders.”
Mr Sharma went on central deputation in 2017 and got posted in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). After that, he was made IG in SPG and later, promoted to ADG in SPG. Now, he has been given the post of DG.
He has worked on many important posts in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He has held the post of DIG Uttarakhand and Haridwar, IG PAC Haridwar, Allahabad, Bareilly and Meerut.
He has also served as the Superintendent of Police in Unnao, Moradabad, and Bulandshahr. He had postings in Uttarakhand before going on deputation in 2017.
Mr Sharma is counted among one of the finest officers of UP cadre and recognized for his meticulous planning and tech-savvy approach to policing.
In 2016, he received the President’s Police Medal for his excellent contribution to the police service.
Apart from many achievements, he is also best remembered for successfully organizing the Kumbh Mela, major pilgrimage and festival in Hinduism, in Prayagraj in 2013.
Born on June 15, 1966, Mr Sharma originally hails from Aligarh, UP. He has B.Sc and B.Tech in Mechanical degrees. After completing his engineering, he started preparing for UPSC as his inclination towards civil service grown during graduation years. He cracked UPSC CSE in 1990.
He got promoted to the rank of DIG on 7 August 2007. After this, he was made IG on 9 November 2010. On January 1, 2016, he was promoted to ADG Ramp.
An interesting anecdote about him is from 2018. There was a lot of uproar in April 2018 over the theft of Mr Sharma’s watch. The Rado watch of the then SPG IG, who had come to attend a wedding, was stolen. He had registered a case in this regard at Hazratganj, Lucknow police station.
