Ajay Singhal takes charge as DGP

As Haryana’s new Director General of Police (DGP) Ajay Singhal assumed charge on Thursday, administrative reshuffles took place transferring senior IPS officers to their new places of postings.

Earlier in the day, the new DGP reached the Police Headquarters at Panchkula and formally took charge. Several senior police officers welcomed him with bouquets, and the jawans also presented a salute.

After taking charge, Singhal held a media interaction and shared his vision for the state. He said that “anyone who demands extortion, regardless of the sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) applied, is a terrorist”.

The state police chief thanked Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini for entrusting him with the responsibility and said he would discharge his duties with “utmost integrity, dedication and commitment”.

He added that “questioning the law and order situation in the state is the Opposition’s compulsion”, but the situation in Haryana is “completely under control”, and that the government is giving “full support to the police”.

“Work would be done not only for the public but also for police welfare.”

On the issue of corruption, the DGP said the department takes prompt action whenever any such information is received. “Not only will action be taken against the rotten apples, but we will also ensure that they do not remain in the force. Strictest action will be taken against those found indulging in corrupt practices,” he asserted.

“Many complaints are received, and they will be resolved in a time-bound manner. A plan for the next five years will be prepared, keeping future challenges in mind. The government is providing full support to the state police,” he highlighted.

Underscoring that policing has changed at least five times in the last 30 years, Singhal said that “criminals have become smarter, so the police also had to modernise”.

“Haryana Police plays an important role in maintaining peace for the Centre and the entire region. Due to technology, new challenges have emerged. Several operations are being conducted. Haryana Police recently conducted Operation Track Down and the ‘Chase the Criminal’ operation under vigilance department, which had been very successful. Now the focus will be on modern policing, welfare, and crime tracing. I have written eight-nine pages of ideas that shall be implemented,” the DGP said.

Singhal also said that the Special Task Force (STF) will be reorganised and a complete strategy has been prepared for crimes committed against Dalits and women.

“Haryana’s Dial 112 service ranks second in the entire country. If the Opposition raises questions, the police will address the shortcomings. But, there is no law and order deterioration problem in Haryana. The state’s GDP is growing and people are prosperous. The opposition’s criticism is their compulsion,” he added.

Singhal said the state’s conviction rate has already reached 72-73 per cent, adding that focussed efforts will be made to further improve it towards 100 per cent.

Announcing a new citizen-centric initiative, Singhal said police will soon launch the “May I Help You” scheme. The initiative aims to provide immediate assistance and a sense of security to citizens during travel or in distress situations.

Citing his personal example, Singhal said that he had to book a banquet hall for his daughter’s wedding for which he had to pay Rs 5 lakh, but he added that “not every police employee can afford it. Thus, banquet halls shall be constructed for such social gatherings in every police line across the state”.

Mittal, Chawla given fresh postings

Meanwhile, the state government on Wednesday appointed 1993-batch IPS officers Alok Mittal as Director General (Prisons) and Dr Arshinder Singh Chawla as Director General (Vigilance). Both Mittal and Chawla were also in the reckoning for the top post of the state police chief.

Besides these, 1994-batch IPS officer Kala Ramchandran has been appointed as Director, Haryana Police Academy, Madhuban in Karnal. while 1995-batch IPS officer CS Rao has been posted as DGP, Haryana Human Rights and Litigation. The transfer orders were issued late evening.