Chandigarh:
Senior IPS officer Ajay Singhal was appointed the new Director General of Police of Haryana on Wednesday. Singhal currently holds the position of Director General of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Haryana.
Haryana Government picked IPS officer Singhal out of a panel of three senior IPS officers prepared by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Singhal replaces OP Singh, who retired from service on Wednesday after a career spanning more than 33 years.
Singh was given the additional charge of DGP on October 14 when Shatrujeet Kapur proceeded on leave amid mounting attacks from the opposition over fellow IPS officer Y Puran Kumar’s alleged suicide. On December 14, Singh was appointed the officiating DGP.
Hailing from Rewari, 57- year- old Singhal is an IPS officer of the 1992 batch who has spent most of his career in Haryana, with stints in various operational and administrative roles.
According to official order issued by Haryana’s Home Department, Singhal, a 1992-batch IPS officer of the Haryana cadre, has been appointed for a minimum tenure of two years from the date he assumes charge. Singhal is due to retire in October 2028. The order was issued by additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sumita Misra and will take effect immediately.
The order stated that the government picked Singhal out of a panel of three senior IPS officers prepared by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Besides Singhal, the panel included 1990-batch IPS officer Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor and 1993-batch IPS officer Alok Mittal.
Singhal, an IIT Delhi Graduate (B.Tech-Mechanical), takes over the reins at a time when the Haryana Police is focusing on consolidating gains made under outgoing DGP OP Singh, whose tenure was marked by a strong emphasis on public accessibility, digital outreach, crackdowns on organised crime, drug networks, and cyber fraud, and reforms in grievance redressal and forensic capabilities.
For his outstanding, dedicated and meritorious service, Singhal was awarded the Police Medal in the year 2008 and the President’s Police Medal in the year 2017.
A seasoned officer, Singhal who held several key operational and administrative positions during his career, including roles in district policing, intelligence, and specialised units (Law and Order, Crime Control, Vigilance, Railway Police, CID, Special Branch, Cyber Crime and Internal Security),is likely to prioritise strengthening district-level policing, tackling organised gangs and narcotics supply chains, and expanding cybercrime response capabilities.
