Himachal Pradesh: 1989 batch IPS officer Sanjay Kundu is new DGP

SHIMLA: Sanjay Kundu, a 1989 batch IPS officer, assumed the charge of the director general of police (DGP) of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday. Though he was to succeed DGP SR Mardi on May 31, but this being Sunday, he assumed the charge on Saturday itself. The state government has made his appointment on the recommendations of Civil Services Board.
Kundu is considered close to chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and was holding the charge of principal secretary to chief secretary, principal secretary (Excise and Taxation), vigilance and principal resident commissioner Himachal Pradesh government at New Delhi.
At the time of BJP government coming to power in Himachal Pradesh under Jai Ram Thakur, Kundu was on central deputation and was serving as joint secretary in the Union ministry of water resources. Kundu, before heading for central deputation, was posted as additional DGP (law and order) at the state police headquarters.
But when the BJP government of state came under opposition attack following firing incident in Kasauli area on May 1, 2018 when the assistant town planner Shail Bala was shot dead by a hotelier during broad day light in the presence of heavy police force as Shail Bala was leading the demolition drive to execute the Supreme Court orders to remove illegal encroachments.
After coming under opposition attack over deteriorating law and order in the state, Jai Ram Thakur-led state government then had recalled Kundu by cutting short his central deputation. Appointment committee of Union Cabinet had approved the proposal of Himachal Pradesh government in June 2018 for the premature repatriation of Kundu.
On returning from central deputation, Kundu was appointed as the additional principal secretary to chief minister but later he was appointed as principal secretary to chief minister and also given the charge of important departments like excise and taxation and vigilance. He was also heading the quality control cell.
Kundu has done a post-graduate programme in public policy from the University of Minnesota, where he was also a Fulbright Humphrey Fellow. He is a graduate of National Defence College, New Delhi, and Harvard University, where he completed a programme on ‘International Security and Strategy’.
He has worked in leadership roles with the United Nations. He has served as police commissioner within the UN system, where he carried out works relating to national capacity building, conflict mitigation, human rights, protection of civilians and humanitarian support.