Meet Bihar’s new police chief, a classically trained singer who has held many crucial posts

Says priority is to have zero-tolerance towards crime, urges people to reach out to him

On Friday, after assuming charge as DGP, Raj said: “I first thank the state government for bestowing the honour on me. My top priority is to keep working towards the state government's zero-tolerance policy on crime. Any Bihar resident can meet me or my officers for legal and policing reasons.”

Alok Raj, 1989-batch Bihar cadre IPS officer, on Friday took over as Bihar’s Director General of Police (DGP). Raj replaced R S Bhatti, who was appointed Wednesday as director general of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

In December 2022, Bhatti had been made Bihar DGP even though he was a year junior to Raj.

Raj is currently also DG, Vigilance Investigation Bureau, and will continue to hold the post along with his new role as DGP. He is set for retirement on December 31, 2025.

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He has previously served as superintendent of police of Sitamarhi and Begusarai, and subsequently as CRPF DIG and IG.

The 2025 Assembly election in Bihar will be conducted during Raj’s tenure as police chief. He has been known for his role in holding the 2008 panchayat elections in West Bengal’s Nandigram in the aftermath of unrest in the area.

On Friday, after assuming charge as DGP, Raj said: “I first thank the state government for bestowing the honour on me. My top priority is to keep working towards the state government’s zero-tolerance policy on crime. Any Bihar resident can meet me or my officers for legal and policing reasons.”

A classically trained singer, Raj has two music albums to his name – one of Kabir Bhajans and another of Dushyant Kumar ghazals. He was also a topper in Geology from Patna Science College.

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He is the son-in-law of former Chhattisgarh and Tripura Governor D N Sahay.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

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