Who Is Anurag Kumar? Former IB Special Director Appointed Delhi Police Commissioner After Satish Golcha's Removal

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday removed Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha less than a year after he took charge and appointed former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Special Director Anurag Kumar as the new chief of the capital's police force.

Kumar, a 1994-batch IPS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, will take charge as Delhi Police Commissioner, with his appointment taking effect from the date he assumes office. His appointment marks the second time within a year that the Centre has replaced the Delhi Police Commissioner before the completion of the incumbent's tenure.

In an order issued on Friday, the MHA said Kumar had been appointed Commissioner of Police, Delhi, with effect from the date he assumes charge and "until further orders". Earlier in the day, he was repatriated from the Intelligence Bureau to his parent AGMUT cadre for a period of three years after the Centre relaxed the IPS tenure policy, before being appointed Delhi Police Commissioner.

According to The Indian Express, the Centre's decision came amid concerns over a series of administrative and law-and-order issues during Golcha's tenure. These included changes to the process of appointing Station House Officers (SHOs), the handling of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, where activist Sonam Wangchuk is on an indefinite hunger strike, corruption cases involving Delhi Police personnel, and a reported rise in extortion cases allegedly carried out by gangsters operating from abroad.

Indian Express reported that the Centre had repeatedly advised Golcha against altering the interview-based system for appointing SHOs introduced by his predecessor, Sanjay Arora. Under that system, inspectors were shortlisted through interviews conducted by a board of senior officers before appointments were finalised. According to the report, multiple lists of SHOs were issued after Golcha took charge without following the same procedure despite repeated reminders from the Centre. A Police Establishment Board on similar lines was eventually constituted in December.

The Indian Express also cited government sources as saying that a series of recent incidents figured in the Centre's assessment. These included the security breach at the Delhi Vidhan Sabha in April, when a car rammed through the Assembly entrance gate, the alleged rape and murder of a minor by an app-based taxi driver in South Delhi in June, and a fire at a South Delhi hotel that killed 23 people, including 14 foreign nationals.

Government sources also told The Indian Express that the recent arrest of two Delhi Police inspectors by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in separate corruption cases added to the Centre's concerns.

Kumar joined the Indian Police Service in 1994 as a direct recruit after clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination and was allotted to the AGMUT cadre. He served in several field assignments in Delhi, rising to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) before moving to senior administrative and intelligence roles.

His service record earned him the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2010. Four years later, he was empanelled by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) to hold posts up to the rank of Inspector General and equivalent. In 2016, he was awarded the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service for his contribution to domestic security operations.

After being relieved from his Union Territory assignments, Kumar moved on central deputation in 2018 and served in the Intelligence Bureau, where he eventually rose to the post of Special Director. In 2025, the ACC empanelled him to hold Director General and Director General-equivalent posts in the Centre before his appointment as Delhi Police Commissioner.

Golcha has been directed to report to the office of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu pending his next posting.

The 58-year-old officer had taken charge as the 26th Commissioner of Delhi Police on 22 August 2025 after the removal of S. B. K. Singh. His appointment had come a day after a man attacked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during a Jan Sunwai programme at her camp office, injuring her.

Before taking over as Delhi Police Commissioner, Golcha was serving as Director General of Tihar Jail.

(With inputs from Indian Express)