IPS officer Kuldiep Singh to hold additional charge of CRPF DG

New Delhi, Feb 27: IPS officer Kuldiep Singh has been assigned to "look after" the charge of CRPF director general (DG) after incumbent chief A P Maheshwari retires on Sunday, an order issued by the Union Home Ministry said on Saturday.

It said Singh, a 1986-batch officer working as the special DG of its central zone, will hold the additional charge of the CRPF head till "the appointment and joining of the successor or until further orders, whichever is earlier".

Singh is from the West Bengal cadre.

Maheshwari, a 1984-batch Indian Police Service officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, had taken over as the CRPF chief in January last year.

The Union government on Friday appointed him as adviser to the Lt Governor of poll-bound Puducherry along with retired DoPT secretary C Chandramouli.

"My tenure as the director general has been a most humbling and rewarding experience despite the last year being beset by the challenge of coronavirus."

"It has been extremely satisfying and reassuring that all ranks of CRPF rose as one, sacrificing their leave and lifestyle, to continue to work and conduct operations, living up to the nations expectations, in these trying times," Maheshwari said in his farewell message to the force.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the country's largest paramilitary with an estimated strength of about 3.25 lakh personnel.

It is designated as the lead internal security force with its main operational theatres being Left Wing Extremism affected states, counter-terrorist combat in the Kashmir valley and counter-insurgency operations in the north east.