Ex-UP DGP Dr Vikram Singh speaks on corruption, integrity, fake encounters, Sonam Wangchuk’s NSA case, Naxal insurgency, Bihar elections, and India’s foreign policy. A candid take on law, order, and national security.
In an exclusive interview with Asianet Newsable, former UP DGP Dr Vikram Singh shared insights on corruption, law enforcement, internal security, civil rights, and India’s foreign policy. He discussed integrity in governance, fake encounters, Sonam Wangchuk’s NSA arrest, a senior IPS officer’s suicide in Chandigarh, illegal migration, Bihar’s law and order, Naxal insurgency, and India’s diplomacy following the Afghan Foreign Minister’s Deoband visit.
WATCH: UP’s Ex-DGP Vikram Singh’s EXCLUSIVE Interview
“Cannot Start Dancing With My Pistol Like Dabangg”
Asked whether integrity — the cornerstone of public service — still exists in India, Singh’s voice carries both pride and pain.
“Without integrity, there is no service, and there cannot be any service. He or she will be a mercenary. Maybe very competent. Robert Bly was very competent. So was Warren Hastings. So are so many others. But without integrity, they are absolutely good for nothing. And at the end of the day, the end product is going to be as horrible as a dishonest person,” he said.
For Singh, integrity is total — not merely financial honesty but adherence to conduct rules, refusal of undue gifts, and abstaining from social media exposure without authorization.
“You have to be self-effacing and in the background. Not to expose yourself and boast, ‘I did this, I did that.’ It shows the person requires psychiatric intervention,” he says, sharply criticizing officers who glamorize their roles online.
“Corruption Is Terminal Cancer”
The former top cop likens corruption to a “terminal cancer” eating away at India’s moral and institutional health.
“Corruption is a multifaceted dimension and a monster. And which came first, the politicians or corruption or these corrupt practices is difficult to say. But corruption presupposes that some kind of a political patronage, otherwise it cannot survive. A person who is corrupt has to oblige very many people to survive. A person of absolute integrity is not dependent upon any politician,” Dr Singh said.
“It is terminal cancer,” Singh added, insisting the top leadership must bear moral and legal responsibility for corruption under their watch.
“There are no bad soldiers, only bad generals,” he declares, adding that “zero tolerance must come from the top.”
Singh doesn’t mince words when discussing the judiciary’s failures. “Justice Yashwant Verma’s case showed bundles of note recovered, yet no one acted. You should have ensured that he was sent to jail. You not only did not send to jail, but you obstructed anyone who tried to send him to jail.”
He calls for fast-track trials and summary justice, adding, “The least you can do is register a case, send the person to jail, and decide it within 21 days.”
“Faithful Rule Of Law Has Changed UP”
When asked if Uttar Pradesh’s law and order improved under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Singh is emphatic. He noted that UP has faithful implementation of the rule of law — irrespective of caste and community — which is key.
“It has to be faithful and transparent, so that anybody who transgresses the rule of law, he should be aware that there will be consequences, and the consequence should be immediate, should be prompt, and should be taken into action, translated into action in immediate future, not indefinite future.”
“In Bareilly, you would see, and other cases, the signal was very clear. What the CM says means a lot, because the police does not operate in vacuum. It operates in a system. And if the system, if the chief minister says , the police force of three lakhs in the state understand what the CM desires, and then you can see the results for yourself,” Singh added.
On Tauqeer Raza: “The Government Has No Priority List”
When questioned why action against cleric Tauqeer Raza followed the Bareilly unrest, Singh responds metaphorically:
“There are a hundred patients in a hospital. First come, first served. Tauqeer Raza Khan did not give the opportunity of service to the government or the department before. And the moment he gave the opportunity and that he wanted to be served, service was dispensed very promptly without fear and favour.”
He reveals that Raza’s properties were built on government land.
“Government does not have a priority list. But the moment I find that there is a person who is bent upon creating violence, vitiating the communal atmosphere of the district, then it is my painful duty to understand in what manner has he transgressed the rule of law. Tt is also came to light that he is earning ₹15 lakhs a month on the basis of monthly rent that he is getting. How? By constructing almost 80 shops on government land that may not have come to the notice earlier. And the government decided there are other important things to do in the festive season,” Singh said. “Please don’t try to challenge the authority of the state and the police like that.”
Fake Encounters: “They Happen, They’re Not Orchestrated”
On the controversial issue of police encounters, Singh provides rare clarity.
“Encounter is not orchestrated, it happens. But, to say that cent percent encounters are authentic, I’d be living in a fool’s paradise.”
He explains the legal safeguards in place — from NHRC reporting to magisterial inquiries — and admits to having personally dealt with fake encounters during his tenure.
“In Agra and Etah, I registered cases and ensured convictions. A murder is even lighter, but a fake encounter is even worse.”
NSA & Sonam Wangchuk’s Arrest: “You Can’t Use It Because You Don’t Like A Face”
Singh clarifies the three conditions for invoking the National Security Act (NSA) — public order, national security, and essential services — cautioning against misuse.
“You cannot invoke the provisions of the National Security Act because you don’t like somebody’s face or at the drop of a hat,” Singh declared.
He admits admiration for Wangchuk’s intellect but says: “In case of Sonam Wangchuk, the government allotted him land for a specific purpose. He misused the conditions. He visited Pakistan, and I’m given to understand, I have no proof, but I’m given to understand that he met people who were inimical to the interest of India.”
“Ladakh is a very peaceful place. This is the first time such disturbances. Of course, it is my legitimate right to protest against the government also. It is my legitimate right to criticize the government if I choose to. But if I promote violence, if I instigate violence, as a consequence of which lives are lost, properties are burnt, then their responsibility will have to be fixed,” Singh added.
“Therefore, I, for one, I have shared the stage with Sonam Wangchuk many times. He’s a brilliant person. There is no doubt about it. Ladakhi people should have their own ethnicity preserved. I agree in total. But to that, I would say, the peaceful means of protest, the legitimate means of protest, not violence. Violence is not the answer, because those that play with the sword shall perish with the sword,” Singh further stated.
On the Chandigarh Officer’s Suicide: “A Human Tragedy”
Calling the death of an Additional DGP Y Puran Kumar in Chandigarh “the worst human tragedy,” Singh urges for a high-level probe.
“Police department is a very disciplined department, and it’s a family. It’s a family because starting from the right from the police constable, right up to the DGP, they are one big family. I don’t say that nobody’s infallible beyond reproach. There are fault lines, and those fault lines have to be addressed by the leadership,” Singh said.
“This is a tragedy, and the worst human tragedy, because the brother officer died before his time and the allegations that he has leveled are very serious. I would not like to believe that the allegations are true. But the fact of the matter is, if somebody’s giving his life, there has to be an element of substance in the matter and the allegations. I do hope that the topmost priority is given to investigate and inquire into the serious allegations leveled by the deceased officer,” Singh added.
“He was a very promising officer, a good family, but what prompted him to take his life and the allegations he’s leveled need to be investigated very, very thoroughly by an SIT,” Singh demanded.
“Silent Booth Capturing” And The Bihar Elections
With Bihar Elections around the corner, Singh warns that traditional booth capturing may be gone — but subtler forms thrive.
“Booth capturing is a thing of the past now. Now what you have is a silent booth capturing. Silent booth capturing, you know how it happens? Bribe, money, gifts like saris, liquor. Now you have the technology, you have CCTVs, you have election commission officers at all levels, now you have the social media, you have the print media, and the social media has been the biggest death knell of all booth capturing. But old habits die hard,” Singh highlighted.
He praises the Election Commission’s vigilance and technology use but admits illicit liquor smuggling surges during polls, especially along the UP–Bihar border.
Meanwhile, on the Bihar–Bengal border crisis, Singh accuses political interests of exploiting illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants.
“Vested interests I would say, because you know what they say, ‘Ye hamari amanat hai.”’ I fail to understand how can Rohingyas and illegal Bangladeshi migrants be your amanat? Every illegal Bangladeshi migrant Rohingya is a ticking time bomb.
His prescription is blunt: “Gangsters Act, UAPA, NSA — attach their properties. Anyone who’s aiding and abetting Bangladeshi, illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants is an anti-national.”
“Naxal Problem Will End By 2026”
Singh expresses optimism over the fight against Naxalism. “Initially, I didn’t believe the Home Minister’s timeline, but recent successes show it’s doable. The forces are now two generations ahead of the Naxals, using AI, drones, and robotics.”
He calls the current phase “the last chapter” of the Naxal story.
On Deoband And India’s Neighbours
Defending Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to Deoband, Singh says:
“Deoband Seminary is one of the most prestigious seminaries in the world, not only in India, but in the world. The Deobandi school of thought is the most credible face in the world of Islam today. And therefore, if the foreign minister of Afghanistan chooses to go there, well, it is his liking. A fatwa is an advisory, not an edict.”
On India’s foreign policy, he adds:
“You cannot choose your neighbours. We are blessed with wonderful neighbours, especially the failed state of Pakistan, and a rogue state down South, and in the East. Therefore, naturally, my enemy’s enemy has to be my friend. I feel that Pakistan enemy, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, on Pakistan side, and the Taliban of Afghanistan, they’re already at daggers drawn and blows with each other. Therefore, it is a very sane and sound policy that your enemy’s enemy is your friend as of now,” Singh added.
“India Has Miles To Go — But The Future Is Bright”
Concluding on an optimistic note, Singh envisions a confident India.
“I see India going from strength to strength, becoming the third-largest economic power, jobs for everyone, improved law and order, greater public confidence in the law enforcement machinery. To your first question, if a single Indian is unhappy or feels insecure, the government has miles to go before it sleeps,” the former UP DGP concluded.