January 19, 2025: The Centre has appointed Gyanendra Pratap Singh, the current Director General of Assam Police, as the new Director General (DG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the country’s largest paramilitary force.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued an official order late Saturday, confirming the approval by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for the Union Home Ministry’s proposal to appoint Singh.

"The ACC has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the appointment of Shri G.P. Singh, IPS (AM) 1991, as Director General, CRPF," the order stated.

Singh, an IPS officer of the 1991 batch from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, will lead the CRPF until further orders or his retirement on January 31, 2027. Known for his extensive experience, Singh has previously served in the Special Protection Group (SPG) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and has held several senior positions in the state police.

The position of CRPF DG had been temporarily held by 1993-batch IPS officer Vitul Kumar after the retirement of Anish Dayal Singh on December 31, 2024.

With a workforce of nearly 300,000 personnel, the CRPF is instrumental in maintaining internal security. It handles diverse responsibilities, including anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, counter-insurgency efforts in the northeast, and anti-Maoist operations in Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected states.

The upcoming year will be critical for the CRPF, particularly in Chhattisgarh, where over 40,000 personnel are deployed. The Union government has set a target to eliminate left-wing extremism in the region by March 2026, a mission in which the CRPF will play a central role.

The appointment of Gyanendra Pratap Singh as the new DG is seen as a strategic move, leveraging his expertise to lead the CRPF through these significant challenges.