Senior IPS officer Anurag Gupta new Jharkhand DGP

    Ranchi, Jul 26 (PTI) Senior IPS officer Anurag Gupta was given the additional charge of Director General of Police (DGP) of Jharkhand, a government notification said on Friday.
    As DGP, Gupta, a 1990-batch officer, replaced Ajay Kumar Singh who belonged to the 1989 batch.
    "Anurag Kumar Gupta, IPS, Director General, Crime Investigation Department (additional charge DG, Anti Corruption Bureau, Jharkhand), is being given additional charge of Director General of Police, Jharkhand till further orders," a notification issued by the Home, Prison and Disaster Management Department said.
    After assuming charge, Gupta said it would be his endeavour to ensure that the police are sensitive to the needs of people, especially women.
    Meanwhile, a rift surfaced in the JMM-led ruling alliance over the DGP's appointment.
    State Congress Chief Rajesh Thakur said the alliance partners were not taken in confidence while making "such a major decision".
    "We are not aware as to under what circumstances Anurag Gupta was made the new DGP and Ajay Kumar Singh was removed from the post. There has been no discussion over it in the coordination committee. At least alliance partners should have been told about such a major decision. I would like to know under what circumstances such a decision was taken. I will talk to the CM on this," he said.
    Singh, who was made the state's DGP in February last year after the retirement of his predecessor Neeraj Sinha has now been posted as MD of Jharkhand Police Housing Corporation Ltd.
    Singh's appointment last year had ended the row over the appointment of DGP in the state as the Supreme Court had in January, 2023 disposed of a contempt petition against the Jharkhand government and former police chief Neeraj Sinha.
    A petition had alleged that Sinha had been occupying the post of DGP even after his superannuation on January 31, 2022.
    A bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, had then directed the state to attend to the requisitions furnished by UPSC.
    On July 14, 2021, the court had issued notices on the contempt plea against the state government, its top officials, and the UPSC for alleged violation of its verdict.
    On September 3, 2021, the apex court had pulled up the state government and the UPSC for their role in the appointment of an interim DGP in alleged violation of its judgement of a two-year fixed tenure for a state police chief who has to be selected from a list to be prepared by the UPSC.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)