Neeraj Kumar is a former Commissioner of
Delhi Police who retired from the
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Raj.
Along with the Indian Administrative Service (I ...
(IPS) on 31 July 2013. Neeraj Kumar belonged to 1976 batch and AGMUT (Arunachal-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre and has recently completed his tenure as the Chief Advisor to the BCCI for their Anti Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU).
During his distinguished career of 37 years, Kumar served in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
,
Arunachal
Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...
,
Mizoram
Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo", the self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo language means "lan ...
and
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
. He started his career as The
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in the Chanankya Puri sub-division of New Delhi in 1979. On promotion, he served in
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares ...
as the Superintendent of Police (Bomdila). He was summoned to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
in 1982 to be a part of the police arrangements for the Asian Games, for which he received several commendations. Subsequently, during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)
Traffic
Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation.
Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffi ...
, he introduced several innovations including PrePaid taxi service at the Airport (operational till date), free eye camps for truck drivers, introduction of micro-processor based traffic signals etc. Subsequently, as
DCP/South, he cracked the serial crimes being committed by an erstwhile criminal tribe wherein victims were being bludgeoned to death in their sleep and looted there after.
In 1992, as
DCP/Crime he unearthed the massive multi crore racket in state run lotteries. In 1993, Kumar was promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police after which he was on deputation with the
Central Bureau of Investigation till 2002. He investigated several cases of terrorism, organized crime, economic crime and corruption. As the Director General (Prisons) he introduced several measures such as "Padho aur Padhao" (First learn yourself and then teach others) and "Sparsh" for the welfare of jail inmates. He retired from office in 2013 from the post of CP,
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
.
Early life and education
Kumar was born on 4 July 1953 to Shri Bishwanath Sahay and Smt. Pushpa Sahay in the city of
Patna, Bihar
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
. He completed his schooling from
Sainik School Tilaiya. In 1973, he graduated from
St. Stephens College, Delhi and further went on to pursue his post graduation from the same college of the University of Delhi. On completion, he joined the
Indian Police Services
The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Raj.
Along with the Indian Administrative Service (IA ...
(IPS)
Indian Police Service Career
Kumar joined the Indian Police Service in 1976 as part of the AGMUT (Arunachal-Goa-Mizoram and other Union Territories) cadre.
First Posting in Delhi
After the completion of his probation, he was first posted as the
Assistant Commissioner of Police at Chanakya Puri, New Delhi. He served there for a year from 1979 to 1980.
Arunachal Pradesh
He was then posted as the Superintendent of Police at Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh for next two years (1980-1982).
Back to Delhi
He was summoned back to Delhi in 1982 for police arrangements to be made for the Asian Games, for which he received several commendations. He was later closely associated with the security arrangements during the Non Aligned Summit 1983, followed by
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...
Heads of Govt. (CHOGM) Meet later that year. From 1982 to 1993 he served in the Delhi Police in various important assignments viz. Dy. Commissioner of Police/Traffic, Dy. Commissioner of Police/South and Dy. Commissioner of Police/Crime etc. His role in handling the 1984 riots as the Additional DCP of Central District was praised by various Commissions of Enquiry appointed by the Government to probe the role of the police during the riots. During his tenure in Traffic Police, he introduced several innovations including the Pre Paid Taxi service at the Airport (operational till date), free eye camp for truck drivers, introduction of micro-processor based traffic signals etc. As DCP/South, he is remembered as a people friendly DCP, who cracked the serial crimes being committed by members of an erstwhile criminal tribe in which citizens were being bludgeoned to death in their sleep, and, thereafter, looted. Ever since then the city has remained free of such crimes. His role in containing the rioters during the
Mandal agitation in South Delhi was widely acknowledged and appreciated. As DCP/Crime he cracked the massive multi crore racket in state run lotteries in 1992.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
* Special Task Force (STF)
On promotion to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police in 1993, he proceeded on deputation to the Central Bureau of Investigation where he served until 2002. In the CBI, he dealt with a wide variety of cases involving terrorism, organized crime, economic offences and corruption. He led the investigations in the serial blasts that rocked Mumbai (then Bombay), which were handed over to the CBI by the Mumbai Police in Dec. 1993. Under his leadership, the Special Task Force (or STF, created in the CBI to investigate the case) arrested seven members of the Memon family and sixteen other absconders. The charge sheets filed, at the time by the CBI led to the conviction of 100 out of the 123 accused in the case. Under his leadership, the STF also cracked the serial train blast cases of 1994. which occurred on the first anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition in various prestigious trains, and unearthed a terrorist outfit called
Ahle Hadees. The trial of the serial train blasts cas ended in life sentence to all the fifteen arrested accused.
Important Cases solved
His tenure in the CBI is also highlighted by the solving of the
Meenakshi Amman Temple
Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundaraswarar Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, ...
blast case, the unearthing of the UTI Scam, the arrest and deportation of
American Cultural Centre attack mastermind Aftab Ansari from
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, the arrest of Abdul Lateef, a notorious underworld don of Gujarat; Romesh Sharma, a
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim (; born 26 December 1955) is an Indian mafia gangster, drug kingpin, and wanted terrorist from Dongri, Mumbai. He reportedly heads the Indian organised crime syndicate D-Company, which he founded in Mumbai in the 1970s. Ibrahim ...
henchman masquerading as a politician based in Delhi; the cracking of the cricket match fixing scandal in 2000. the arrest of Jagtar Singh Tara, the first accused to be nabbed in the assassination of the then Punjab
CM Sardar Beant Singh, which led to the unraveling of the entire conspiracy.
Fight against Terrorism
On repatriation to the Delhi Police in February 2002 he was posted as Joint Commissioner of Police / Special Cell, responsible for tackling terrorism. During this tenure, he conducted several counter terror operations, many of which led to the neutralization of notorious Pakistani terrorists in Delhi. These included the encounters at
Ansal Plaza,
Tughlaqabad Fort
Tughluqabad Fort is a ruined fort in Delhi, built by Ghiyasuddin Tughluq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty, of the Delhi Sultanate of India in 1321, as he established the third historic city of Delhi, which was later abandoned in 1327. It l ...
, Deenpur Village in Najafgarh,
Millennium Park
Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in 2004 and intended to celebrate the third millennium, is a prominent civic center nea ...
and
Lotus Temple
The Lotus Temple, located in Delhi, India, is a Baháʼí House of Worship that was dedicated in December 1986. Notable for its flowerlike shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city. Like all other Bahá’í Houses of Worship, t ...
. Thereafter, he was posted as Inspector General of Police / Mizoram. On promotion he was posted as Director General of Police, Goa, where he launched a sustained campaign against illegal immigrants, drug mafia and the Russian mafia indulging in land grabbing, human trafficking etc. He masterminded the arrest of Tariq Ahmed Batlo, a Pakistan trained Kashmiri terrorist, who was tasked with an assignment to cause Bali like bombings in Goa. Serious terror incidents were prevented in the holiday haven as a result of this arrest. On his return to Delhi Police on transfer, as Special Commissioner of Police, he was responsible for the entire planning and execution of the police and security arrangements for the
Commonwealth Games 2010, which have been widely appreciated. As Director General (Prisons) where, besides toning up the jail administration, he introduced several innovative measures like a literacy programme called "Padho aur Padhao", in collaboration with the National Literacy Mission Authority, which brought down illiteracy amongst jail inmates substantially; campus placement for reformed prisoners in which nearly four hundred inmates given jobs. He also started a semi-open jail in Delhi. His initiative "Sparsh", was a scheme for the welfare of nearly 2,500 inmates who did not get any visitors from their homes or friends. On 30 June 2012 he was appointed as the Commissioner of Police, Delhi. During his tenure as the CP, Kumar and his police force exposed the scam of spot fixing in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 6) of cricket.
His first book ‘Dial D for Don’ published by Penguin Random House in 2015 is a runaway hit and figures on several bestseller lists. Kumar has recounted in the book the stories of eleven police operations that he conducted in the CBI. The book has received raving reviews from several quarters.
His second book 'Khakhi Files' published by Penguin Random House in 2019 has details of 9 other investigations conducted by him. Season one of '
Delhi Crime
''Delhi Crime'' is an Indian crime drama streaming television series written and directed by Richie Mehta. casting director Radhesh More and produced by Golden Karaven, Ivanhoe Productions, Film Karavan and Poor Man's Productions. The series st ...
' a popular crime series on Netflix is based on chapter 'Night of shame' from the book. Season two of Delhi Crime is based on another chapter 'Moon Gazer' from the same book.
Awards and Recognitions
Kumar has undertaken various foreign assignments and training session as part of the
Delhi Police. He went to Tokyo (Japan) for three weeks in 1985 for a training programme on Traffic Police Management and attended a course on Post Blast Investigations organized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
at Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1997.
He represented India at the UN Convention on Trans-national Organized Crime in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. He also represented India at Vienna during deliberations of
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
Manual on Kidnapping & Extortion, 2014. He was handpicked to be the Conference Secretary when the World Interpol Conference took place in New Delhi in October 2007. He has visited U.S.A., U.K, Germany, Australia, Israel, France, Japan, U.A.E, and various other countries for conferences, investigations and training programmes. In February, 2012 he was invited by the U.K. Government to share his experiences of organizing the security arrangements during
Commonwealth Games 2010 for the benefit of the U.K. Police.
He was decorated with the
President's Police Medal
The President's Police Medal is a decoration awarded to members of law enforcement in India. Established on 1 March 1951, the medal was originally called the President's Police and Fire Service Medal. The medal is awarded for either gallantry or d ...
in 1992 and President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1999 and has also been felicitated by Luton Cricket Club,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
for "making cricket a better arena to play in" in 2013.
References
External links
IPS Neeraj KumarFacebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Neeraj
1953 births
Living people
Indian police chiefs
Commissioners of Delhi Police