The senior IPS officer KP Singh on Wednesday assumed charge as DGP Haryana replacing Yashpal Singal, who was shunted out late Tuesday night.
Singal has been posted as Director General (crime). The transfer was expected as a number of BJP legislators had demanded the ouster of State police chief after the police failure to control violence during Jat quota stir in February.
The 1985 batch IPS KP Singh, who is two years junior to Singal, while assuming the charge as State police chief said that the professional efficiency of the State police would be further enhanced and the police personnel would be made more responsive to the law.
Singh, while talking to the mediapersons said that the priority would be to maintain law and order situation in the State.
Replying to a question related to laxity of the State police during Jat agitation, the new DGP described the State police as a brave and hardworking force which has already firmly dealt with many challenges like terrorism. The police force is fully competent to meet future challenges, he said.
He said that the morale of the police personnel would be boosted and emphasis would also be laid on providing facilities to the police personnel and it would also be the priority to meet the requirement of manpower and equipment in the Police Department.
Before assuming the charge, the new DGP also met retired IPS Prakash Singh, who is appointed by the State Government to probe into the alleged failure and inaction of civil and police officials during the Jat agitation, said sources.
IG (Hisar range) Anil Rao has been posted as the new Intelligence chief replacing Shatrujeet Singh Kapur, who has been posted as ADGP (crime), allegedly for the intelligence failure to anticipate the gravity of the Jat agitation that turned violent leading to the deaths of 30 people and leaving more than 300 injured.
The State had also suffered a loss of more than Rs 700 crore due to damage to public and private property during the Jat agitation.
Considering the serious damage caused to the image of Manohar lal Khattar Government following the inept handling of Jat quota stir in Haryana, the State Government has already transferred a large number of police and civil officials in the violence affected areas of the State.
Earlier, the State Government had also suspended IGP (Rohtak range) Shrikant Jadhav for the alleged lapses on the part of State police to pre-empt and curb the violence.
Parkash Singh panel which has found gross lapses on the part of police top brass during Jat stir is likely to submit its report this month.
Haryana Government has also constituted a judicial commission to probe the conspiracy behind the incidents which pushed the State into unprecedented “turmoil” during the Jat quota agitation.