‘A silent worker, far-sighted’: Kerala colleagues remember SPG director Arun Kumar Sinha
Special Protection Group director Arun Kumar Sinha, who died in Gurgaon on Wednesday, was a Kerala cadre IPS official who served in different capacities in the state
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Sinha served as IG with Border Security Force in the Gujarat region. (Source: Arun Kumar Sinha/Facebook) An officer who heralded modernisation in the state police and launched several initiatives related to traffic and women’s safety – this is how colleagues remembered Special Protection Group (SPG) director and Kerala cadre IPS official of the 1987 batch, Arun Kumar Sinha, who died in Gurgaon on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with cancer.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolences on Sinha’s demise, saying he was an efficient officer who had executed many responsibilities in the state police.
Former director general of police Rishiraj Singh said Sinha was his close friend and had been an excellent officer. “He left indelible marks in all the places where he worked. Sinha always learned new things and used technology to improve policing. He changed the functioning of the police in all the places where he was posted,” Singh said. “While working with the state intelligence as the IG, Sinha did not solely depend on police sources for intelligence inputs. He developed his own sources, which helped him solve many cases. As an SP, he had worked in as many as seven police districts doing commendable jobs in law and order,” said Singh, a 1985 batch Kerala cadre IPS official.
Former Kerala DGP Jacob Punnoose said Sinha played a crucial role in the development of the BSF frontier in Gujarat, where he worked from 2009 to 2014. “It paved the way for his acquaintance with Narendra Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat. Sinha was an officer who worked silently. Despite having made immense contributions to the police at various levels, Sinha never took credit for his feats. He maintained good relations with all officers,” recalled Punnoose.
“While working as the city (Thiruvananthapuram) police commissioner 25 years ago, Sinha modernised the traffic system with signals and signage. It was rare in Kerala then…but he was farsighted. He was suave and accessible to all, including ordinary people,” said State Road Safety Authority member Upendra Narayan, adding that Sinha was a people-friendly police officer with a keen interest in traffic safety.
The SPG director since 2016, Sinha got a one-year extension on May 30 this year, a day before his retirement. He leaves behind an illustrious career of 35 years as an IPS officer who served in different capacities in Kerala, and elsewhere in the country.
Sinha, who hailed from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, began his police career as an assistant superintendent of police at Mananthavady in Kerala’s Wayanad in 1989. Later, he worked as the police superintendent in various districts. He served as the commissioner of Thiruvananthapuram city for nearly four years from 1997, a period in which Sinha proved his mettle in law and order. Sinha also served as deputy inspector general and inspector general (IG) in the south and central zones of the state, apart from working as IG Intelligence.
From 2009 to 2014, Sinha served as IG with Border Security Force in the Gujarat region, a period that he later mentioned was tough and challenging. On his return to Kerala in 2014, Sinha was appointed as additional director general of police at the state police headquarters, a post he held until he was made SPG director in 2016.
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