Sanjay Arora, ex-ITBP chief, takes charge as commissioner of Delhi Police

Sanjay Arora, a Tamil Nadu-cadre IPS officer, took charge as the commissioner of the Delhi Police on Monday. Arora, who headed the paramilitary force headed the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), was appointed for the top police officer’s post in the national capital a day ago.

Arora, who was once part of the Tamil Nadu Police’s special task force which later hunted down forest brigand Veerappan, will succeed Rakesh Asthana, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer who retired on Sunday after nearly 38 years in service.

Arora, 57, is the second successive non-AGMUT cadre IPS officer to head the Delhi Police and the third since the Delhi Police Act was passed in 1978 and a commissionerate was established.

An Indian Police Service officer of the 1988 batch, Arora is an engineering graduate from Rajasthan’s Malviya National Institute of Technology. In 1991, he had played a pivotal role in forming the Special Security Group that provides security to VIPs.

The Delhi Police functions under the Union home ministry and its officers belong to the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre.

According to an official order, the competent authority has approved the inter-cadre deputation of Arora.