Latest news with #PrashantKumar
News18
15 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
Why Has No Permanent DGP Been Appointed In Uttar Pradesh For 3 Years?
Last Updated: Rajeev Krishna is the new acting DGP of Uttar Pradesh, replacing Prashant Kumar and becoming the ninth DGP since 2017 The Uttar Pradesh government has named senior IPS officer Rajeev Krishna as the new acting Director General of Police (DGP), replacing Prashant Kumar, whose term many expected to be extended. With this appointment, Krishna becomes the ninth DGP since 2017 and the fifth to hold the post in an acting capacity. The repeated appointment of acting DGPs has raised questions about the state's reluctance to follow the Supreme Court-mandated procedure for selecting a full-time top cop. The apex court, in its 2006 ruling in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case, mandated that all states must forward a list of the three most senior eligible officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which would then recommend one name. The chosen officer would serve a fixed two-year term. However, the state has kept the top post firmly within the government's discretionary control since 2021. In 2024, the Yogi Adityanath government introduced the Uttar Pradesh Police (Selection and Appointment to the Post of Director General of Police) Rules, a legislative move ostensibly designed to institutionalise the DGP selection process. The rules empowered the state government to make the appointment but did not fundamentally alter the lack of UPSC involvement for acting DGPs. While there were murmurs that then-acting DGP Prashant Kumar would be given a formal two-year term, the government ultimately refrained from doing so, again opting for a temporary appointment. With multiple elections looming including panchayat and urban body polls, and the crucial 2029 Lok Sabha elections, this temporary appointment has led to several questions from the opposition. Several opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, have frequently accused the UP police of being skewed toward Thakur officers, an allegation aimed at highlighting caste imbalances under the Yogi Adiyanath administration. Why Rajeev Krishna? According to sources, 11 senior IPS officers were in contention for the top job this time, including one woman officer, raising hopes that UP might see its first-ever female DGP. However, Rajeev Krishna emerged as the government's pick – a choice driven, insiders say, by his reputation as a field-oriented, no-nonsense officer with a clean image and a track record of loyal service. Currently serving as acting DGP, Krishna is expected to remain in the post until March 2026. By that time, with several of his seniors due to retire, he may rise to fourth in the seniority list, making a case for a potential permanent appointment, depending upon the government's discretion. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
News18
2 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Uttar Pradesh Gets New Acting DGP: Who Is IPS Officer Rajeev Krishna?
Last Updated: Krishna, a 1991-batch Indian Police Service officer, assumed charge following the retirement of acting DGP Prashant Kumar on May 31 Senior IPS officer Rajeev Krishna has been appointed as the acting director general of police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh, marking another transition in the state's top police leadership. Krishna, a 1991-batch Indian Police Service officer, assumed charge following the retirement of acting DGP Prashant Kumar on May 31. This makes him the fifth consecutive officer to be appointed in an 'acting" capacity since 2022. Founding chief of UP ATS, pushed tech-driven policing Known for his integrity and innovative approach to policing, Krishna previously served as the director general of vigilance and chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board. Born on June 26, 1969, in Noida, Rajeev Krishna began his policing career in 1991. He has held several key positions, including senior superintendent of police (SSP) in cities like Agra, Lucknow, and Bareilly. He gained prominence in 2004 for his decisive action against kidnapping gangs, solidifying his reputation as a tough and effective officer. Krishna also served as the founding chief of Uttar Pradesh's Anti-Terror Squad and held significant roles such as director general of the Police Academy and inspector general of operations in the Border Security Force. His tenure was marked by the implementation of technology-driven policing initiatives like Operation Pehchaan and e-Malkhana, aimed at modernising the force and raising cybercrime awareness. Family in public service His brother-in-law, Rajeshwar Singh, a former IPS officer, is now a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) from Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow. Rajeshwar's wife, Lakshmi Singh, serves as the police commissioner of Gautam Buddha Nagar. 'Acting' appointments Since the removal of Mukul Goel as the permanent DGP in May 2022, Uttar Pradesh has seen a series of acting police chiefs. Goel was dismissed for 'neglect of duty" and reassigned as director general of Civil Defence. Following his departure, the state appointed Devendra Singh Chauhan as acting DGP, who served until his retirement in March 2023. He was succeeded by RK Vishwakarma, who held the position until May 2023. Vijay Kumar then took over as acting DGP, followed by Prashant Kumar, who served until his retirement in May 2025. Rajeev Krishna's appointment continues this trend of interim leadership within the state's police force. New rules for selecting DGP In November 2024, the Uttar Pradesh government introduced the Director General of Police, UP Selection and Appointment Rules, 2024, to formalise the appointment process for the state's police chief. Under these rules, a six-member committee, chaired by a retired high court judge, will oversee the selection. The committee comprises the chief secretary, a nominee from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the chairperson or a nominee from the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, the additional chief secretary (home), and a retired DGP. The committee will assess candidates based on service records, experience, and a minimum of six months of remaining service. The appointed DGP will serve a fixed term of two years or until retirement, whichever is sooner. Rajeev Krishna's appointment as acting DGP comes as Uttar Pradesh strives to enhance its law enforcement capabilities and restore public confidence. First Published: June 01, 2025, 07:00 IST
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Akhilesh hits out at govt for appointing another acting DGP
1 2 Lucknow: Responding to the appointment of senior IPS officer Rajeev Krishna as the state police chief on Saturday evening, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that Uttar Pradesh has got yet another acting DGP. Akhilesh has been critical of the BJP govt in the state which has been appointing acting DGPs one after another since May 2022 when the then state police chief Mukul Goel was removed from the post. Since then, govt has appointed four acting DGPs – DS Chauhan, RK Vishwakarma, Vijay Kumar and Prashant Kumar, who passed the baton to Rajeev Krishna on Saturday. It was after Mukul Goel's unceremonious removal from the post of DGP in May 2022 that the UP govt decided to appoint acting DGPs to "bypass" the system in place where names of three eligible IPS officer had to be sent to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for its stamp on the name of the state police chief. After this, the SP took on the UP govt accusing it of bypassing the Centre in appointment of DGP. It was in 2024 that the state cabinet cleared the draft of 'Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh Selection and Appointment Rules' which provided for appointment of a select committee by the state chaired by a retired judge of the high court to shortlist a DGP from a panel of three names suggested by the state govt. The committee is yet to be constituted. Lashing out at the state govt for appointing an acting DGP, Akhilesh took on the outgoing police chief Prashant Kumar whom he had repeatedly accused of surrendering to political pressures. "Now that the tenure of the outgoing DGP Prashant Kumar has ended, it is time for him to reflect on what he got in return for proving every wrong as right. Instead of an individual, had he shown his commitment towards the Constitution and law of the land, he would have walked out with his head held high," Akhilesh said. "It is now the time to see if the new DGP will be able to deliver justice with an objective and impartial approach or finds himself stuck in the mess that the outgoing state police chief has left behind and falls prey to politicking. Why should the people of Uttar Pradesh bear the brunt of a law-and-order mechanism which has been in shambles only because Lucknow and Delhi do not have good (political) relations," he said. Akhilesh said it was because of the ongoing power tussle within the BJP that UP was not getting a full-fledged DGP for years. "Despite having a double-engine govt, they are unable to strike a consensus and shortlist a DGP in the state, hence one must not expect any wonders at the crime and law and order front from the BJP govt," the SP chief said.
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
1991-batch IPS officer Rajeev Krishna appointed Uttar Pradesh police chief
Senior IPS officer Rajeev Krishna has been appointed as the acting Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh, a government order said on Saturday. Krishna is a 1991-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh present, Krishna has double charge of DG Vigilance and DG Recruitment and Promotion Board. Now, he has been given the responsibility as the acting DGP. He succeeded former DGP Prashant Kumar, who retired on have taken charge (as the new DGP). Further discussions will be held in the press conference," Krishna told reporters. Of the likely names for the top post, Krishna was the front-runner in the race for DGP. The reason was when the government's credibility was questioned due to the UP Police Constable recruitment exam being cancelled after a paper leak last year, the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Board conducted the exam successfully under Krishna's then DG of the recruitment board, Renuka Mishra, was removed as a repercussion of the paper Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav attacked the Yogi Adityanath-led government for not being able to appoint a permanent DGP instead of an acting one."UP gets another acting DGP! Today. While leaving, he (Prashant Kumar) must be thinking about what he got and who kept proving every wrong to be right. If he had been loyal to the Constitution and the law instead of the person, he would at least have got respect in his own eyes. "Now it remains to be seen whether the new person is able to free himself from the web that he has woven in the entire state and deliver justice impartially or else he too becomes a victim of politics by getting trapped in the same web," Yadav wrote in Hindi on X. advertisement "Why should the people of UP and the poor law and order situation bear the brunt of the Delhi-Lucknow fight? When the 'double engine' cannot elect an officer together, how will they run the country and the state," he IS IPS OFFICER RAJEEV KRISHNA?Krishna was posted as Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Bareilly, Kanpur, and Aligarh after he became an IPS officer in 1991. He served as SP City in Aligarh. As captain, he was SP and SSP in Firozabad, Etawah, Mathura, Fatehgarh, Bulandshahr, Noida, Agra, Lucknow and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) was formed in Uttar Pradesh, Krishna became the first DIG and led the IG Range, he took over the command of Meerut. In the current Adityanath-led government, Krishna was the ADG Zone of Lucknow for one-and-a-half years and the ADG Zone of Agra for about two-and-a-half August 2023, Krishna was made ADG of Vigilance. When he was promoted to the post of DG in January 2024, the government made him DG Vigilance. But when the paper of the police recruitment exam was leaked in March 2024, he was also given the command of the Police Recruitment and Promotion OF INFLUENTIAL BUREAUCRATIC FIGURESadvertisementKrishna's wife, Meenakshi Singh, is an IRS officer and is currently posted as the Income Tax Commissioner. Rajeshwar Singh, who was a joint director in ED, is currently a BJP MLA from Sarojini Nagar seat of Lucknow. He is Krishna's brother-in-law and his wife Meenakshi Singh's brother-in-law Rajeshwar Singh's wife, Laxmi Singh, is Noida's Police wife's elder sister, Abha Singh, has been in the postal services and has been UP's PMG. She is currently a senior lawyer at the Bombay High Court, while her husband YP Singh is a former IPS officer. IN THIS STORY#Uttar Pradesh
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Rajeev Krishna replacesPrashant as new UP DGP
Lucknow: Rajeev Krishna, who recently supervised the hiring of over 60,000 cops in UP Police as the chief of police recruitment board, was appointed as the new director general of police on Saturday. The appointment of the 1991 batch IPS officer Krishna to head India's largest police force was announced after a day-long suspense amid talks of the possible extension of the outgoing DGP Prashant Kumar . At present, Krishna was also the DG, vigilance, apart from heading the police recruitment board. He will continue to hold these posts. His retirement is due in June 2029. After instances of paper leak and subsequent cancellation of one of the largest recruitment drives ever last year, Krishna was given the charge of the board and he oversaw the smooth completion of the drive -- a process hailed for its transparency and efficiency amid mounting public scrutiny following exam leak last year. His appointment is being seen as a reward for this feat as he has superseded 11 other senior officers to get the coveted post. Prashant Kumar, when he was given the charge of the acting DGP in Feb 2024, was 18th on the seniority list of IPS officers. Like his predecessor, Krishna is the fifth officer to hold the position of acting DGP since 2022. The last permanent DGP in the state was Mukul Goel, who was removed three years ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like CFD: Invertir $100 con IA podría devolverte un segundo salario Digital Group Prueba ahora Undo Since then, DS Chauhan, RK Vishwakarma, Vijaya Kumar, and Prashant Kumar have served as acting chiefs. Earlier, Krishna has served as the DG of the Uttar Pradesh Police Academy, where he was responsible for training and mentoring new generations of police officers. Krishna has held several challenging field assignments, including postings as SP/SSP in Mathura, Etawah, Agra, Noida, and Lucknow. He was also the founding chief of the UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), where he laid the groundwork for counter-terror operations in the state. At the national level, Krishna served as inspector general of operations in the Border Security Force (BSF), where he oversaw operations along both the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders for four years. During this tenure, he implemented a sensor-based Comprehensive and Integrated Border Management System, enhancing surveillance and operational effectiveness along sensitive frontiers. In 2018–19, he served as the ADG of Lucknow Zone, managing critical law and order situations across central Uttar Pradesh. Prior to that, he was SSP Lucknow. Regarded as a forward-thinking officer with a strong focus on technology-driven policing, Krishna introduced several notable innovations. While serving as ADG of Agra Zone, he launched Operation Pehchaan, a mobile-based platform to identify and track repeat offenders. He also integrated online monitoring for women's beat policing and Anti-Romeo squads and introduced e-Malkhana, a system for digitising police case property records. Krishna also led the charge against cybercrime, initiating both awareness campaigns and advanced training programs for police personnel and the public. Born in Lucknow on June 20, 1969, Krishna holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. After clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 1991, he was inducted into the Indian Police Service. One of the most impactful chapters of his career was his tenure as SSP Agra in 2004, when he led decisive crackdowns against notorious kidnapping gangs operating in the ravines. Known for his strategic acumen and clean image, Krishna's appointment is seen as a move toward reinforcing both the credibility and modernisation of Uttar Pradesh's policing system.
