Chandigarh, February 7: Dinkar Gupta, a 1987 batch IPS officer, was on Thursday appointed the Director General of Punjab Police. His appointment was cleared by the Chief Minister on Thursday morning.
He succeeds Suresh Arora, who had been on an extension after his retirement on September 30 last year.
A decorated officer, Gupta is the seniormost of the three officers, all of the same batch, to be empanelled for appointment to the top post by the UPSC earlier this week.
In his previous stint, Gupta was posted as Director General of Police, Intelligence, Punjab, which involved the direct supervision of Punjab State Intelligence Wing, State Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU).
An experienced and distinguished officer, Gupta was empanelled on April 26, 2018 for appointment to Additional Director General-level post at the Centre–one out of the 20 1987-batch IPS officers to be so empanelled, and the only one from Punjab.
He did an eight-year stint on central deputation with the MHA, from June 2004 to July 2012, where he held many sensitive assignments, including Head of the Dignitary Protection Division of the MHA.
He had served as Senior Superintendent of Police of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts for more than seven years during the terrorist phase in Punjab. He also served as DIG (Jalandhar Range), DIG (Ludhiana Range), DIG (Counter-Intelligence), Punjab, and DIG (Intelligence), Punjab, till 2004.
Among his other past assignments in the state were ADGP Administration and Community Policing (2015-17),
Dinkar Gupta was decorated with Police Medal for Gallantry (1992) and Bar to Police Medal for Gallantry (1994) for display of exceptional courage, conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty of a high order. He was also decorated with the Police Medal for Meritorious Services by the President and the Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Service (2010).
