Punjab DGP empanelled for Central appointment

He is the only IPS officer from northern Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to be so empanelled. Four other officers of the same batch have been empanelled for the posts of Director General Equivalent.

The empanelment means that Gupta is now eligible to be appointed as chief of Central agencies like Research and Analysis Wing, Central Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence Bureau, National Investigation Agency, National Security Guard, Special Protection Group and paramilitary forces Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, Assam Rifles and Sashastra Seema Bal.

The only other serving IPS officer of Punjab cadre to hold DGP level post is 1984 batch IPS officer Samant Goel who is the Research and Analysis Wing chief.

Gupta who took over as Punjab DGP in February last year was one of the 20 officers of 1987 batch of IPS and only officer from Punjab who was empanelled as ADGP for holding post at Centre in April 2018.

He had an eight-year stint on central deputation with Ministry of Home Affairs from June 2004 to July 2012, where he held many sensitive assignments, including as the head of the Dignitary Protection Division of MHA.

Prior to his posting as State DGP, Gupta served as DGP (Intelligence), directly supervising state’s intelligence wing, State Anti-Terrorist Squad and Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU).

He has been Visiting Professor (2000-01) at the George Washington University and American University where he was invited to design and teach a course entitled Governments under Siege: Understanding Terrorism and Terrorists in January-May 2001.

Now 56, Gupta was the youngest police officers to be decorated with the Police Medal for Gallantry by the President in June 1992 for display of exceptional courage, conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty of a high order as Assistant Superintendent of Police during an encounter with the terrorists in April 1992. In June 1994, he was decorated with a Bar to Police Medal for Gallantry by the President when he was Hoshiarpur SSP. In 2003, he was awarded Police Medal for Meritorious Services and in 2011 Police Medal for Distinguished Services.