An IPS officer of 1987 batch of UP cadre, Mukul Goel took charge as the new director general of police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow on Friday.
Goel, who was on Central deputation as additional director general (ADG) of Border Security Force (BSF) in Delhi, was relieved on Thursday after he was appointed to head the UP Police.
The new DGP reached Lucknow from New Delhi on Friday morning.
ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar, who was handed over charge by outgoing DGP HC Awasthi on June 30, gave Goel the charge of DGP. Goel will get an opportunity to ensure free and fair Assembly elections in the state in 2022.
Before taking over, Mukul Goel prayed at the Hanuman temple and went to Lok Bhawan to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after which he reached the DGP Headquarters to take over charge and address the waiting media persons.
The new DGP said that his priority would be to control crime and improve the quality of policing.
"Every citizen of the state should feel safe and every police personnel will have to shoulder the responsibility to take care of every individual. While maintaining peace is the job of the police, a good law and order can only be ensured with public cooperation. .Let me make it clear here that criminals and anti-social elements will not be spared at any cost. We also have to improve the relationship between police and common people,” he said.
Goel also stressed on the modernisation of the police force to cope up with and get the better of changing modus operandi of criminals, particularly those involved in cyber crimes.
Holding a BTech degree in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi and an MBA degree, Goel has served in UP Police in various capacities. Born in Muzaffarnagar, he is also a recipient of the Police Medal for Gallantry (2003), Police Medal for Meritorious Services (2003) and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Services (2012).
He was posted as ADG (Law and Order) during the previous Samajwadi Party regime from September 2013 to May 2015 after the infamous Muzaffarnagar riots started on August 27, 2013 and claimed 60 lives and rendered over 50,000 homeless.
Early in his career, Goel served as SP/SSP in Almora, Jalaun, Mainpuri, Hathras, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Saharanpur and Meerut districts and was also posted in Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) as well as National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Earlier, the UPSC had sent the names of Nasir Kamal (1986 batch), Mukul Goel and RP Singh (both 1987 batch) to select the state’s next top cop. Sujan Veer Singh is also an IPS officer of 1986 batch but his name was not included as he will retire in August this year.
