Who is Satish Golcha, brought in as Delhi Police chief after attack on Rekha Gupta?

He will replace Shashi Bhushan Kumar Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer who was given additional charge as Delhi Police Commissioner on July 31 following the retirement of the previous police chief, Sanjay Arora.

The move comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was attacked during a Jan Sunwai (public hearing) meeting at her Civil Lines Camp Office, adjacent to her official residence, by a man from Gujarat.

A notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday stated, “With the approval of the competent authority, Shri Satish Golcha, IPS (AGMUT 1992), presently posted as Director General (Prisons), Delhi, is hereby appointed to the post of the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders.”

Born on April 30, 1967, Golcha hails from Abohar, in Punjab’s Fazilka district. He completed his higher studies in Rajasthan. He is a Commerce graduate and a certified Chartered Accountant.

He has two sons, both working professionals; one of them runs his own startup.

Golcha was appointed as DG (Prisons) on an interim basis after gang wars and murders were reported in the city’s jails. His appointment was later regularised.

He was earlier posted as Director General of Police (DGP), Arunachal Pradesh, and was also Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order, Zone 2) during the 2020 riots in Northeast Delhi.

He also held the posts of Special Commissioner (Intelligence) in the Delhi Police; Special CP (Crime and EOW); Joint CP (Southwest range); Joint CP (Eastern range); IG of the CBI; and DCP West.

Following the attack on the CM, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) took charge of her security from the Delhi Police late Wednesday night. It is providing ‘Z’ category security cover to her. A source said the decision to hand over security to the CRPF was taken after an initial inquiry found major security lapses behind Wednesday’s incident.