Senior IPS officer, Shatrujeet Kapur is the new DGP of Haryana Police

New Delhi, August 16

Senior IPS officer, Shatrujeet Kapur is the new Director General of Police of Haryana Police as incumbent PK Agarwal retired from police services on August 14. 

Kapur has been appointed for a minimum period of at least two years as per a SC judgement.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had earlier shortlisted three Haryana-cadre IPS officers  R C Mishra and Mohd Akil, both 1989-batch officers, and 1990 batchh officer, Kapur for the post. The state government selected Kapur as the next DGP. 

Kapoor, a B. Tech in mechanical engineering and a native of Jind in Haryana. He is a a 1990 batch IPS officer, who replaced Haryana DGP PK Aggarwal. 

Kapoor is taking over the charge at a time when Haryana Police is facing challenges to restore peace in Nuh district where communal clashes took place on July 31.

The Haryana Government announced, "On the consideration of the panel received from Union Public Service Commission, the Governor of Haryana is pleased to appoint Sh. Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor, IPS as Director General of Police, Haryana (Head of Police Force) for a minimum tenure of at least two years from the date of his assumption of charge, in terms of the judgement of the Hon'ble Supreme Court passed in W.P. (Civil) No. 310/1996 titled as Prakash Singh and others Versus Union of India, and till further orders thereafter". 

The Haryana government had sent to the UPSC a panel of 10 IPS officers for selection as the new DGP. The panel did not contain the name of Manoj Yadava, the seniormost IPS officer of the Haryana cadre. Yadava, currently on deputation as director general (investigation) of the National Human Rights Commission, had given an undertaking to the state government that he does not want to come back to Haryana to lead the force. 

According to the Supreme Court’s directives in the landmark Parkash Singh judgement in 2006 and the MHA guidelines, the DGP will be selected by the state government from among the three senior-most officers empanelled for promotion to that rank by the UPSC on the basis of their length of service, career record and range of experience. The willingness or consent of the officer being considered for the post of DGP is not necessary to be obtained.

When Khattar first took over as chief minister in 2014, Kapur was appointed head of the intelligence arm of the state police. Khattar had to shift him and the then DGP, Yashpal Singhal, in 2016 after the Jat quota agitation but he was soon appointed as the chairman and managing director of two power distribution companies, UHBVN and DHBVN, a post held by IAS officers. He was later appointed as principal secretary, transport, also before heading the state vigilance bureau.

Known as a hard task master, Kapur will also have at hand the task of ensuring that a communal flare-up, as it happened in Nuh weeks ago, does not get repeated. Reining in cow vigilantes, such as Monu Manesar, would be a major challenge for the new DGP  

The process of selecting the new DGP, which was initiated in May, had its share of ups and downs with the UPSC writing back to the state government, seeking the service record of senior most Haryana IPS officer, Manoj Yadava, to make it a part of the proposal sent by the state government. Yadava, who remained Haryana DGP from 2019-21, is on central deputation. 

the Haryana government omitted Yadava’s name containing the names of nine IPS officers to the UPSC for shortlisting three officers for the DGP’s job, citing his unwillingness to come back.

The commission had sought Yadava’s record in light of Supreme Court directives and MHA undertakings in the apex court that that the consent of an officer is not required for the purpose of empanelment as DGP of the state. The MHA response before the SC came during the January hearing of an interlocutory application filed by the Nagaland government in the apex court.

However, the state government refused to send Yadava’s service record reiterating his unwillingness and his recent appointment as DG, Railway Protection Force, a central assignment. 

Thr newly apppointed DGP, Sharujeet Kapur took over the charge as DGP on August 16. Agarwal served as DGP for two years and was givena warm farewell by Haryana Police.