NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a surprise move on Friday, removed Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha, nearly 11 months before his retirement, and appointed Anurag Kumar, a 1994-batch AGMUT cadre IPS officer, as his successor for a three-year term.
"With the approval of the competent authority, Anurag Kumar, IPS-AGMUT cadre of 1994 batch, is hereby appointed as Commissioner of Police, Delhi, with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders," the MHA said in an order.
The MHA also directed Golchha, a 1992-batch AGMUT cadre IPS officer, to report to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi for further posting after the new commissioner assumed charge.
Kumar took charge as Delhi Police Commissioner at the force headquarters later on Friday.
Golchha's early removal is learnt to be linked to concerns over certain administrative decisions within the force, including changes in the process for posting Station House Officers (SHOs), large-scale transfers of Personal Security Officers (PSOs) attached to VIPs, and the handling of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, where activist Sonam Wangchuk is on an indefinite hunger strike.
Sources said there had also been growing criticism of Golchha's leadership following the Red Fort blast in November last year.
The incident was viewed by some officials as a failure of the city police, despite the recovery of a large cache of explosives from neighbouring Faridabad earlier the same day in a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana Police.
Known for his experience in strategic and high-level security matters, Kumar was assigned the new responsibility a day after his repatriation to his parent AGMUT cadre. He was serving as Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
An engineering graduate, Kumar was awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2010 and the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2016.
He has extensive experience in policing in the national capital, having served as Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in several Delhi Police districts before joining the IB, where he handled key intelligence assignments.
Golchha was appointed Delhi Police Commissioner on August 22, 2025, replacing SBK Singh, a day after Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was attacked by a man during a public meeting at her residence.
