In a significant move ahead of the Jharkhand state assembly polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed Senior IPS Officer Ajay Kumar Singh as the new Director General of Police (DGP) for Jharkhand. Singh, a 1989-batch IPS officer, replaces Anurag Gupta, who was removed from his position as Acting DGP following the ECI’s orders to the Jharkhand government on October 19th.
The ECI’s directive instructed that Gupta’s responsibilities be handed over to the senior-most officer in the DGP cadre, with the Hemant Soren government required to comply by 7 PM on October 19th. Additionally, the government had to submit a panel of senior IPS officers by 10 AM on October 21st.
This change in leadership follows a history of complaints and investigations against Anurag Gupta, including a case registered in 2018 and an inquiry under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in 2021.
Who is IPS Ajay Kumar Singh?
Before he was appointed DGP, Ajay Kumar Singh served as the Managing Director and Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Police Housing in Jharkhand. With a 32-year career in law enforcement, Singh has held key positions, including Additional Director General (ADG) in the CID, Special Branch, and Railways. He has also served as Superintendent of Police (SP) in several districts, such as Hazaribagh and Dhanbad, and various cities in Bihar, including Muzaffarpur, Lakhisarai, Purnia, and Munger.
His first assignment was in 1991 as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Ramgarh district, Jharkhand.
