Itanagar: Experience in counter-insurgency operations, security coordination and policing in sensitive regions will form an important part of Rajesh Kumar's credentials as he takes charge of the Arunachal Pradesh Police. The 1995-batch IPS officer has been appointed the state's new Director General of Police (DGP), bringing experience from some of the country's most demanding internal security assignments to a strategically important frontier state.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued the appointment order on November 3, transferring Kumar's batchmate Shiv Darshan Singh Jamwal, who was serving as Arunachal Pradesh DGP, to Delhi. Both changes take effect immediately and will continue until further orders.
Kumar's appointment follows his premature repatriation from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to his parent AGMUT cadre. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the Ministry of Home Affairs' proposal for his return with immediate effect on November 2. He was serving as Special Director General (Spl. DG) of the CRPF.
A significant part of Kumar's policing career has been spent in Jammu and Kashmir, where he held several operational and leadership positions. He served as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the North Kashmir Range, covering the Baramulla region, and later as Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone. He also served as IG of the Special Security Group (SSG).
Kumar joined the CRPF on central deputation around March 2018 as an Inspector General. In June 2019, following the Pulwama terror attack, he was appointed IG, CRPF (Operations), Kashmir. The assignment placed him in the operational leadership of the force during a critical phase of security operations in the Valley.
His responsibilities subsequently extended to the CRPF headquarters, where he served as IG (Administration) around 2023. He was later elevated to Additional Director General (ADG) and promoted to Special Director General in September 2026 on an in-situ basis.
His experience in Jammu and Kashmir and the CRPF is particularly relevant to his new assignment, given Arunachal Pradesh's strategic location along India's international borders. The state requires effective coordination among security agencies, vigilance in remote border areas and a policing framework responsive to its distinct geographical and social conditions.
The state is also dealing with local sensitivities around major development projects. The ongoing opposition in the Siang Valley to the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project has brought questions of public order, community concerns and administrative engagement into focus. The situation highlights the importance of ensuring that security measures are accompanied by dialogue with local communities.
Kumar's service has been recognised with the President's Police Medal for Gallantry in 2010, the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2011 and the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2018.
His appointment places an officer with substantial experience in internal security operations at the head of Arunachal Pradesh's police force, where effective security coordination and public confidence will remain central to the responsibilities of the office.
BI Bureau
