O P Singh takes charge as Uttar Pradesh DGP

Lucknow: O P Singh, a 1983-batch IPS officer, assumed office as the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police today. Singh, who arrived here this morning, was received by officials at the airport. “The new DGP has taken over the charge and will be interacting with the media later in the day,” DGP, PRO Rahul Srivastava said.

Singh was relieved as the CISF chief on Sunday. The post of the UP DGP has been lying vacant for over a fortnight after Sulkhan Singh retired on December 31.

Singh, a gallantry medal winner, had been heading the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) since September, 2016 and is given the credit for ushering in some major changes in the work profile and operations of the force, especially in the aviation sector.

Under his initiative last year, the force did away with the traditional system of putting tags on air passengers’ hand baggage, a move seen as a major game changer in the airport security domain.

He also initiated simpler flying procedures for specially-abled passengers after talking to representative groups of such passengers. CISF provides security cover to nuclear installations, space establishments, airports, seaports, power plants, sensitive government buildings and heritage monuments.

Singh, before heading the CISF, has served as the chief of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). He led his men from the front in a number of relief and rescue operations, including the massive earthquake in Nepal in April, 2015.