Chandigarh, Jan 1: The Haryana government on Thursday handed over charge of the state police force to Ajay Singhal, a 1992-batch IPS officer, following his appointment as Director General of Police.
Singhal was chosen from a three-member panel cleared by the Union Public Service Commission, officials said. The panel was drawn from five senior officers proposed by the state government in line with the revised 2023 selection guidelines for the DGP post.
The other officers shortlisted by the UPSC were 1990-batch IPS officer Shatrujeet Singh Kapur and 1993-batch officer Alok Mittal. Singhal was serving as Director General of the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau prior to his elevation.
“Taking over as DGP is a great responsibility. I thank the Hon’ble Chief Minister for placing his trust in me,” Singhal said.
The leadership change follows the exit of Kapur, who had completed his two-year tenure but went on leave after being named in a case linked to the suicide of IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar. O.P. Singh was given interim charge but retired at the end of December.
As required, the Haryana government forwarded a panel of officers holding the DGP rank at Level-16 of the pay matrix with a minimum residual service of six months. Two officers—1991-batch Sanjeev Kumar Jain and 1993-batch Dr. A.S. Chawla—were not included in the final UPSC panel.
According to the Supreme Court’s Prakash Singh ruling, the state DGP must be selected from among the three senior-most UPSC-empanelled officers and is guaranteed a fixed tenure of two years. Singhal will continue in office until at least 2028, when he retires on Oct. 31.
Hailing from Rewari district, Singhal is a mechanical engineering graduate from IIT Delhi. His career spans assignments in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Railway Police, Commando Wing, CID and the Haryana Human Rights Commission.
He has received the Police Medal for Meritorious Service and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
