New Delhi: With Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora due to retire today, focus has shifted to who will be appointed as the next head of the capital’s police force. Intense speculation within police circles has placed Satish Golcha, a 1992-batch IPS officer and currently Director General of the Tihar Jail Complex, as the leading contender. Senior officials indicated that an official announcement on the appointment is likely on Thursday.
Arora will formally step down today, July 31, concluding his tenure without the extension that had been the subject of earlier rumors. His farewell ceremony is scheduled to take place at the New Police Lines in Kingsway Camp, marking the end of his nearly three-year stint in charge. He is expected to be assigned a new high-level role following his retirement.
IPS Sanjay Arora’s stint as Delhi’s top cop
Arora, an IPS officer of the 1988 Tamil Nadu cadre, took over as Delhi Police Commissioner in August 2022, succeeding Rakesh Asthana. His tenure was marked by a series of major developments, including gang wars, extortion rackets, cybercrime cases, bomb scares, two blasts in Rohini, and the high-profile Shraddha Walkar murder case. He also oversaw investigations that led to the arrests of senior AAP leaders, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.
Known for his low-profile approach, Arora avoided media interactions and did not hold any press conferences during his tenure. Among his notable administrative decisions was reinstating the Police Control Room (PCR) as a separate division, reversing its earlier merger with the law and order wing.
Other IPS officers in race to claim Delhi’s Police Commissioner post
Other potential candidates for the post include Gyanendra Pratap Singh, a 1991-batch Assam cadre officer serving as Director General of the CRPF, and Shatrujit Kapoor, a 1990-batch Haryana cadre officer and the current DGP of Haryana. Senior officers from the AGMUT cadre also being considered include SBK Singh (1988 batch), Virender Singh Chahal and Nuzhat Hassan (both 1991 batch), and 1993-batch officer Praveer Ranjan.