Anurag Kumar is new Delhi Police Commissioner: Who is he?

Anurag Kumar, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was appointed Delhi Police Commissioner on Friday (July 17, 2026) after the incumbent, Satish Golcha, was removed from the post before completing his tenure. The appointment comes days before the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 20. On the same day, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar for 18 days, plan to march to Parliament to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The two events will be the immediate challenges before Mr. Kumar, who took charge on Friday after serving as Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Following a July 15 proposal by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Thursday (July 16, 2026) placed the services of Mr. Kumar from the IB to his parent cadre, Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT), for a period of three years from the date of joining, “in relaxation of the IPS Tenure Policy”.

Within a day of the order, Mr. Kumar was appointed Delhi Police Commissioner.

During his stint with the IB, Mr. Kumar headed the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Delhi and was, until his appointment, heading the Jammu and Kashmir desk.

“With the approval of the Competent Authority, Anurag Kumar, IPS (AGMUT:1994) is hereby appointed as Commissioner of Police, Delhi with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders,” an order issued by the MHA said.

“Satish Golcha, IPS (AGMUT:1992), is directed to report to the Lieutenant Governor, Delhi, for further posting, upon assumption of charge by the new incumbent,” the order said.

While there was no official word on the reasons behind Mr. Golcha’s removal, as he is due to superannuate in April 2027, sources said the government was inclined to appoint an officer with a clean record.

“There were various allegations and cases of corruption in Delhi Police. Recently, a police inspector was arrested by the CBI for allegedly demanding ₹3 crore to influence the agency’s ongoing investigation in a fake drug manufacturing case. An IPS officer of another State was also arrested subsequently,” said a senior government official.

This is the second time in the past year that the Delhi Police Commissioner has been replaced before completing the tenure. In July 2025, S.B.K. Singh, who was given additional charge as Commissioner of Delhi Police, was removed within a month and replaced by Mr. Golcha.