Chandigarh: After months of uncertainty and revolving-door leadership at the top, Chandigarh Police may have finally found its anchor in Dr Sagar Preet Hooda. A 1997-batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre, Hooda took charge as the new Director General of Police following a transfer order issued by the Union Home Ministry on July 15, 2025. He replaces a string of interim appointments, becoming the fourth officer to lead the force in just over three months.
Until recently posted as Special Commissioner (Intelligence) with Delhi Police, Dr Hooda brings with him a rare blend of sharp academic grounding and deep operational experience. He’s among the few IPS officers in the country with multiple international degrees—including a Mason Fellowship from Harvard and academic credentials from LSE and Duke. But insiders say it’s his clarity, calmness, and courtroom-tested delivery on the ground that makes him stand out.
“Many officers boast impressive degrees but flop on the ground,” a top source said. “Hooda is different—he’s absorbed real-world operational wisdom, not just bookish knowledge.”
His field experience includes some of Delhi’s most sensitive law and order situations and high-profile investigations such as the Shraddha Walkar murder case and the Anjali Singh case in Kanjhawala. As Special CP (Law and Order), and later Operations and Perception Management, Hooda worked just beneath the Commissioner, managing crises with strategic clarity.
His Chandigarh posting is also a return to familiar ground. Hooda began his policing career in the city as a young ASP in 1999 and studied at Panjab University before heading to London and Cambridge for further studies. Those who’ve worked closely with him recall how he combines institutional memory with fresh thinking, a quality that Chandigarh Police may need more than ever.
In recent months, the city’s police force has gone through a churn. After the exit of Surendra Singh Yadav, the DGP post saw a quick succession of officers—Rajkumar Singh and Pushpendra Kumar—holding additional charge. Dr Hooda’s appointment signals a likely shift towards more stable leadership.
Beyond operational skill, Hooda is recognised globally for his work on community policing. His initiative ‘Parivartan’ was recognised by UN Women and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, USA. He was named one of Channel News Asia’s ‘Asians of the Year’ in 2008 and nominated for the IBM International Award for Innovation in Government.
His academic journey, including a PhD in Sociology, has been matched by on-ground innovation. During his tenure in Arunachal Pradesh and Delhi, he balanced field operations with institution-building and cross-agency coordination. With Chandigarh Police often navigating the layered responsibilities of a Union Territory and joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, this coordination instinct could prove critical.
Hooda’s appointment comes at a time when the force is in need of both morale-building and structural streamlining. He is expected to bring long-term stability, strengthen VIP security mechanisms, and foster better coordination between UT, Punjab, and Haryana Police.
As one senior officer puts it, “Hooda’s rare combination of intellectual depth and operational grit can re-build and refine Chandigarh Police’s policing landscape.”
BI Bureau
