GUWAHATI: The Centre has appointed senior IPS officer Gyanendra Pratap Singh as the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), according to an order from the Personnel Ministry on Saturday, January 18. Singh, a 1991-batch officer from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is currently serving as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Assam. His appointment follows a proposal by the Ministry of Home Affairs earlier this week.
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A notification issued on January 18 by Director Sakshi Mittal stated, "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the Ministry of Home Affairs' proposal to appoint Gyanendra Pratap Singh as DG, CRPF, at level-16 of the pay matrix, effective from the date he assumes the position. His tenure will continue until his retirement on November 30, 2027, or until further orders, whichever comes first."
Singh will replace Special DG Vitul Kumar, who has been serving as the acting DG of CRPF since December 30, 2024, after the retirement of the previous force chief, Anish Dayal Singh. Kumar, a 1993-batch IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh, has been handling the responsibilities in an officiating capacity.
Gyanendra Pratap Singh is known for his tough approach as a police officer. He has also served with the Special Protection Group (SPG) and was on central deputation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) starting in 2013, where he held the position of Inspector General. Although his term at the NIA was set to end in November 2020, Singh was unexpectedly recalled to Assam in December 2019 as Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) to manage the violent protests that erupted over the Citizenship Amendment Act.
In addition to his role in law and order, Singh also served as Special DGP (Law and Order) and Director of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in Assam. He led the Rhino Protection Task Force established by the state government in 2021. Singh is also one of the senior IPS officers with a strong social media presence, boasting 214.7k followers on X. After his appointment as DG of CRPF, he shared a message expressing his gratitude to the Kamakhya goddess. Singh’s family also has a strong law enforcement presence—his daughter, an IPS officer from the AGMUT cadre, is currently serving in the Delhi Police.
