UP removes DGP Mukul Goel 10 months after his appointment, says disregarding work

Prashant Kumar, Additional Director General (Law and Order), has been given additional charge of the state police chief’s responsibilities until a new appointment is made.

According to the Home department, Goel has been removed from the post for not taking interest in departmental duties, inaction and disregard for government work.

Goel was not seen at recent press briefings on important government decisions regarding law and order. In fact, Prashant Kumar had addressed the press with Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi recently.

In September last year, Goel inspected Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station and expressed displeasure over the poor upkeep of records and lack of hygiene on the premises. Despite his instructions, the in-charge of the police station was not removed.

Before he became DGP, Goel was Additional Director General of the Border Security Force.

He was among several IPS officers who were suspended by the then Mayawati government in 2007 for alleged irregularities in police recruitment. They were later reinstated and the case was closed. He was ADG (Law and Order) when the Muzaffarnagar riots broke out in 2013 during the rule of the Akhilesh Yadav government.

Following Goel’s removal as DGP, names of frontrunners for the top job have started making the rounds: Rajendra Pal Singh (DG, Police Training); R K Vishwakarma (DG, UP Police Recruitment & Promotion Board); Devendra Singh Chauhan (DG, Intelligence); Anand Kumar (DG, Prison); and Anil Agrawal (on Central deputation).