CRPF DG Anish Dayal Singh retires, Vitul Kumar to lead force as acting chief

PTI, Dec 31, 2024, 6:24 PM IST

New Delhi: CRPF Director General Anish Dayal Singh retired on Tuesday from his position, passing the leadership to senior IPS officer Vitul Kumar who will serve as the acting chief until a permanent appointment is made.

Singh, an IPS officer of 1988 batch from the Manipur cadre, led the Central Reserve Police Force, CRPF during a critical year in which the world’s largest paramilitary force made significant strides in the government’s campaign to combat Naxalism.

Under his leadership, the CRPF established over three dozen forward operating bases (FOBs) in areas affected by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) and introduced four new battalions, adding more than 4,000 personnel dedicated to anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.

Singh’s tenure also coincided with the successful conduct of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the first assembly elections in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, as the CRPF played a vital role in ensuring security across the nation.

After beginning his career from Manipur, Singh transitioned to central deputation in the early 2000s, where he held various key roles within the Intelligence Bureau.

He later headed the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), a paramilitary force responsible for guarding the India-China border, before taking charge of the CRPF in December last year.

One of Singh’s notable initiatives during his tenure was a comprehensive realignment of over 130 battalions within the CRPF to enhance operational efficiency.

This major restructuring, approved by the Union home ministry after an eight-year period, aimed to provide troops with better “family time” while reducing the average distance between units and their parent group centres (GCs) from 1,200 km to 500 km. The realignment also streamlined reporting and supply processes.

In a bid to address the challenges faced by the force, Singh initiated ‘samvaad’ (dialogue) sessions with company commanders and assistant commandants to gather insights on their needs, a move that garnered widespread appreciation.

Due to the seven days of mourning declared by the government in honour of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the handover of leadership was conducted without a formal ceremony.

Vitul Kumar, a 1993-batch IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh, now steps into the role of acting DG of the CRPF.