GP Singh named Assam’s next DGP

Singh, a 1991-batch IPS officer from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre will take charge on February 1. An order to this effect was issued by the Home & Political Department on Saturday.

“I thank the people of Assam and the Honourable Chief Minister for giving me an opportunity like this…From my side, I want to assure everyone that I will do what is the best possible I can do for Assam. We will continue the pace that we have taken in the last three years, especially the way we have been working the last one-and-a-half years under the Chief Minister’s leadership. He has a big dream that Assam should feature among the country’s top five states and we will all work as much as is required to realise this dream,” said Singh.

Singh has a reputation for being a ‘tough cop’. Since 2013, he was on central deputation to the National Investigation Agency where he served as Inspector General. Though his tenure there was to end in November 2020, he was abruptly rushed back to Assam in December 2019 as ADGP (Law & Order) to quell the violent protests that had erupted across the state against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Soon after the order had been issued, he had tweeted, “Back to ASSAM…!!! The Karmabhumi.”

In the police crackdown against the protests in Assam, four — including a 17-year-old — died allegedly in the police firing.

As Special DGP (Law & Order), Singh also served as Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in Assam, and also led the Rhino Protection Task Force constituted by the state government in 2021.