The Election Commission of India (ECI) has lately approved the appointment of Senior IPS Ajay Kumar Singh as the Director General of Police (DGP) for Jharkhand. Officer Singh is an IPS officer from the 1989-batch and has been designated for this role following the ECI’s directive to the Jharkhand State Government on October 19th to remove IPS Anurag Gupta from his position as the Acting DGP ahead of the Jharkhand state assembly polls.
The ECI’s order stipulated that Mr. Gupta’s responsibilities be transferred to the senior-most available officer in the DGP cadre. The state government was instructed to report compliance with these directives by 7 PM on October 19th and the Hemant Soren Government was required to submit a panel of senior IPS officers by 10 AM today, October 21st, 2024.
This decision comes after a history of complaints and actions taken against Gupta during previous elections. Notably, a case (No. 154/18) was registered at Jagannathpur Thana on March 29, 2018, under Sections 171(B)(E) and 171(C)(F) of the IPC. In 2021, the Jharkhand government also granted permission for an investigation under Section 17(A) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Who is IPS Ajay Kumar Singh?
IPS Ajay Kumar Singh was previously appointed as the Managing Director and Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Police Housing in Jharkhand before taking on the role of DGP.
Throughout his career, Singh has held significant positions, including Additional Director General (ADG) in the CID, Special Branch, and Railways in the state. Prior to his promotion to ADG, he served as Superintendent of Police (SP) in several districts, including Hazaribagh and Dhanbad.
Over his 32-year career in law enforcement, Singh has also been the SP in various cities in Bihar, such as Muzaffarpur, Lakhisarai, Purnia, and Munger. His first assignment was as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Ramgarh district, Jharkhand, in 1991.
