Prashant Kumar, an IPS officer from the 1990 batch, has been appointed as the new acting Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh. He will be replacing the current acting DGP, Vijay Kumar, who is retiring on January 31, 2024.
Mr. Kumar has served as the Special Director General (DG) of Uttar Pradesh prior to this appointment. During his tenure, which lasted for three and a half years, he was responsible for overseeing law and order in the state, as well as heading the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and State Special Investigation Team (SIT).
This marks the fourth consecutive appointment of an acting DGP in Uttar Pradesh. Previously, DS Chauhan, RK Vishwakarma, and Vijay Kumar have held the position as acting DGPs under the state government.
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Widely known as ‘Singham’ within the Uttar Pradesh Police force, Mr. Kumar has recently been honored with the Gallantry Award. Hailing from Siwan in Bihar, he is regarded as one of the favored officers of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Mr. Kumar holds degrees in MSc, MPhil, and MBA. His wife, Dimple Verma, is a retired IAS officer and currently serves as a member of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).
During his tenure as Additional DG (ADG) Zone in Meerut, Mr. Kumar successfully neutralized numerous criminals. Subsequently, he was appointed as the ADG of Law and Order, where he compiled a list of 66 mafia members in the state and intensified law enforcement efforts against them. Under his leadership, the Special Task Force (STF) and district police conducted several successful encounters against criminals.
Notably, Mr. Kumar has been awarded the President’s Gallantry Medal on four occasions. He was also rewarded with a cash prize of Rs. 3 lakh by the Chief Minister for his role in eliminating notorious criminal Udaybhan Yadav, who had a bounty of Rs. 5 lakh on his head, in an encounter.
In addition to the cash awards, Mr. Kumar has received a total of 109 commendations and citations from the highest authorities. He is slated to retire in May 2025.