Uttar Pradesh gets fourth consecutive acting DGP

LUCKNOW The UP government on Wednesday appointed director-general (law and order) Prashant Kumar as the acting state police chief, the fourth such appointment in a row over the past 20 months. Kumar will replace acting DGP Vijay Kumar.

Kumar is a 1990 batch IPS officer with over three decades of experience at various important posts including ADG (law and order) and ADG (Meerut Zone) in the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government since 2017.

In a post on X, Prashant Kumar expressed his gratitude towards chief minister Yogi Adityanath for showing faith in him. He said he will further strengthen the state’s law and order and continue implementing the UP government’s zero-tolerance policy against crime and mafia.

Senior state government officials confirmed that Prashant Kumar, who is known for his policing and management skills, has been appointed as the acting DGP. They said the state government order undersigned by principal secretary (home) Sanjay Prasad had mentioned that Kumar will hold the charge of acting DGP till the permanent appointment for the coveted post.

He will also hold the posts of DG (law and order) and DG (economic offences wing). The order further stated no extra wages will be paid for it. Kumar is likely to continue as acting DGP till his superannuation in May 2025, if not removed by the state government due to any reason.

Kumar met chief minister Yogi Adityanath at his residence after being posted as acting DGP.

He was considered as the main person behind implementing the state government’s zero tolerance policy against crime and mafia. Appointment of Kumar as the acting DGP is a major jolt to other frontrunners for the post, including four DG rank 1989 batch officers and nine DG rank officers of his batch, said the official.

He said no full-time DGP was appointed after the removal of 1987 batch IPS officer Mukul Goel on May 11, 2022, much before his superannuation in February 2024, following allegations of inaction and lack of interest towards work. Goel is currently posted as DG Civil Defence.

“After that, DS Chauhan took over as acting DGP and continued to hold the charge until his superannuation in April 2023. After his tenure, RK Vishwakarma served as acting DGP for around one month before Vijay Kumar was appointed as acting DGP on May 31, 2023,” he added.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the appointment of another “acting” DGP instead of making a permanent appointment.

Yadav, in a post in Hindi on X, said, “The public is asking whether the game of making acting DGP is happening every time because of the tussle between Delhi and Lucknow or because of the nexus between the government and the criminals.”