ECI approves Ajay Kumar Singh as new Jharkhand DGP

Mr. Singh was selected from the panel of three IPS officers sent by the State government after the ECI had ordered immediate removal of acting DGP Anurag Gupta on October 19

The Election Commission of India on Monday (October 21, 2024) approved the appointment of Ajay Kumar Singh as the Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP).

Mr. Singh, a 1989 batch officer of the Indian Police Services, is the senior most officer in the cadre. He was selected from the panel of three IPS officers sent by the State government after the ECI had ordered immediate removal of acting DGP Anurag Gupta on October 19, sources said.

While ordering his removal, the election body had cited Mr. Gupta’s “history of election-related misconduct in previous elections”.

The Commission had asked the State government to submit a panel of names of senior IPS officers by October 21 morning to enable it to pick an officer to be named the next DGP.

Mr. Gupta, a 1990-batch IPS officer had been made DGP on July 26 replacing Mr. Singh, who had been in the position since February 2023 after the retirement of his predecessor Neeraj Sinha.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Mr. Gupta had been relieved of his duties as ADG (Special Branch), Jharkhand, following allegations of biased conduct made by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). He was reassigned to the resident commissioner’s office in Delhi and barred from returning to Jharkhand until the election process was completed, the sources said.

Earlier, in the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, Mr. Gupta, then an additional DGP, faced serious charges of misuse of authority. The ECI had formed an inquiry committee following which a charge sheet was issued to him for departmental enquiry, they added.

Assembly elections would be held in Jharkhand in two phases on November 13 and 20 to elect the 81-member House. Counting would be held on November 23.

Published - October 21, 2024 07:57 pm IST